


The Emerald Steel and Scarlet Canary Archives

by WritersBlock039



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Supergirl (TV 2015), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Protective Kara Danvers, Protective Sara Lance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2019-12-30 18:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 43,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18320906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritersBlock039/pseuds/WritersBlock039
Summary: A collection of one-shots (or possibly multiple-shots) from prompts suggested by readers for ships none of us Arrowverse watchers knew we needed - Kariver/Emerald Steel and WhiteFlash/Scarlet Canary.Also taking prompts for DarkSiren, DeathSiren, and Danson.





	1. Introduction

Oliver Queen and Kara Danvers. Human and Kryptonian. Vigilante and superhero. Green Arrow and Supergirl. The Emerald Archer and the Girl of Steel.

Barry Allen and Sara Lance. Metahuman and human. Superhero and assassin. The fastest man alive and the formerly dead captain. The Flash and the first Canary. The Scarlet Speedster and the White Canary.

The possibilities are endless. Why not give me some to play around with?

* * *

**I stand by what I said on Wattpad: I still don't know what I'm doing. I honest to God don't. I just know I started randomly thinking "what if I did this idea," but then I went "except I don't think I could do a whole story based on that." And then I went "but that could be a good one-shot."**

**And, well . . . *helpless gesture* Guess I'm doing one-shots for everyone's favorite Arrowverse crackships.**

**Also, it’s not said in the description because I published this on Wattpad before here, but I’ve expanded the main prompts to two others: DeathSiren (Slade Wilson and Earth-2 Laurel Lance) and DarkSiren (Malcolm Merlyn and Earth-2 Laurel Lance). That gives you four to request from – Kariver/Emerald Steel, WhiteFlash/Scarlet Canary, DeathSiren, and DarkSiren.**

**So, just like it says in the description, this book will be full of one-shots based on prompts _you,_ the readers, would like me to write! That being said, if there's a lull in prompts and I think of one I would like to do (I may steal one I gave you, AllyBPBR, so sorry in advance if I do that XD), I'll do that one instead.**

**Just a few preferable rules for me:**

**- _Please try and stick to prompts that relate to the shows._ I'm not a comics reader, and all my knowledge of these characters come from the TV shows. That being said, I also have limited knowledge of the shows prior to the 2015-2016 runs (Arrow S4, Flash S2, Supergirl and Legends S1). So if there's anything I need to know to write a prompt, the more details I have, the better I can do.**

**- _I'm not an M-rated writer, so please no prompts that could lead to M-rated material._ I can read M-rated material, but I can't write it for the life of me. I can imply when something is about to head in an M-rated direction, but that's probably where I would end that scene.**

**- _If there is something you absolutely certainly would like to see in a prompt, let me know._ For example, if there's a character that you . . . well, let's just say _you don't want me to be kind to,_ let me know. If there's another character (besides the pairings) you would like me to highlight, let me know. If there's a certain situation or a piece of dialogue you want someone to say, let me know. If you want something canon or not, let me know.**

**- _I may not write prompts in order they are given to me._ Inspiration hits when it hits, and if it means a prompt offered to me later is what gets me inspired to write, then that's most likely what I'll write.**

**- _Please do not rush me._ A golden rule for me is quality over quickness, so the more time I have to work on these, the better quality the readers will most likely get. I also work much faster if something is episode-oriented and I can have a script to work with. If it's completely original, I have to think of getting the characters correct: their moods, their dialogue, their emotions, their interactions with others, etc. Add in the fact that this is not the book that's my absolute priority and I'm a sophomore in college, I do have other things to do with my life than just fanfiction. Just give me time.**

**- _There is no limit on requesting._ Whether you give me one prompt or three or five or ten or none at all, it doesn't matter to me.**

**- _I make no promises on how well I may write pairings other than the two listed at the top._ Yeah, I know I usually say fanfiction = me throwing canon out the window, but if there's another pairing that is suggested that I don't know if I can write, I may let you know and ask if there's another pairing you would like instead. Options are nice.**

**And finally . . .**

**- _Please enjoy!_ There's not enough books for Oliver and Kara, even less for Barry and Sara, and I’m pretty sure I’m the one who created Slade/Siren and Malcolm/Siren, so this book is for those who want to see one, another, or multiple pairings in a situation. My goal is for the majority of you to like what I put out, and I hope I accomplish that.**

**So, please give me your requests! Emerald Steel, Scarlet Canary, DeathSiren, DarkSiren, or multiple in one. Request either in the reviews or drop a private message in my inbox.**

 

**_Next time from gammaxmen:_ I think for your first Emerald Steel, you should have Supergirl fight Cupid when she kidnaps Oliver. Show her who owns Oliver's heart. Chain and lock.**


	2. Emerald Steel ~ Lock and Key

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompt from gammaxmen:_ I think for your first Emerald Steel, you should have Supergirl fight Cupid when she kidnaps Oliver. Show her who owns Oliver's heart. Chain and lock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place around the beginning of Arrow Season 6. Also, my apologies if I butchered Cupid's character - I only know what I looked up about her. And apologies if I've screwed up canon . . . it's gonna be loosey goosey in this book.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow, Supergirl, or any of the DC shows and their characters. They belong to the CW and their writers.

Oliver honestly wished Carrie Cutter would decide whether she believed he was the love of her life or that love was a complete and utter lie. And would stop showing up at the worst times possible. Though it made a sick kind of sense that she would show up when he was on a date with his girlfriend.

“So,” he began, wincing as he rolled his head around. Wow, that drug had packed a punch. “I see you got out of prison.”

“I did,” Carrie folded her arms, smirking as she stood in front of him. “I got out and I came to find the man I’m meant to be with, except what do I find in all of the gossip columns? My man, with another woman on his arm.”

Oliver just barely held back from rolling his eyes. _Gossip columns._ They always tried to find a way to paint a picture of Oliver’s love life that was never true. For instance, this time around, they were trying to show his girlfriend was a journalist he was trying to seduce into writing things the way he wanted them written, or she was a gold digger looking to getting a big break in her writing career.

Like Oliver could really tell the gossip columns how they _really_ met.

* * *

_“Team Arrow is here,” Felicity pointed to Oliver, John, and Thea before turning to face the five on the other side of the hangar. “Team Legends is here.” She spun around, tilting her head. “Is that everyone?”_

_“I think so?” the newest Wells on Team Flash, called H.R., answered, though he didn’t sound too sure of himself._

_“Nate and Amaya are back watching the_ Waverider,” _Sara explained. “The newbies.”_

_A whooshing sound and a flash of grey-blue diverted Oliver’s eyes from Sara to behind the computer stations. Barry and Cisco jumped out of a swirling mass of grey and blue energy . . . and they weren’t alone. Oliver couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as he took in the blonde woman with them, dressed in what could have passed as a blue and red cheerleading outfit, a red cape falling just past her knees. “That was cool,” she giggled, grinning widely._

_“Guys!” Barry grinned, leading the two into the hangar. “Thanks for coming.”_

_“Barry, I thought you were bringing an alien,” Oliver’s eyes slid back to the blonde woman._

_“And, yeah,” Barry nodded, looking back at her as well with a smile, which the blonde returned. “We did.” He turned back around, gesturing to the blonde woman. “Everybody, this is my friend, Kara Danvers. Or, as she’s known on her Earth, Supergirl.”_

_Oliver considered the blonde – Kara – as she rubbed her hands together and gave everyone a shy smile. “What makes her so super?” Jax asked from where he stood behind Sara._

_Barry got a mischievous look in his eyes that Oliver wasn’t certain he liked. “Well?” he prompted, looking behind him at Kara._

_Kara took a deep breath, then bent her knees and jumped. Oliver heard Thea gasp beside him as Kara flew into the air, then her eyes lit up blue-white. Beams of light shot from her eyes, and Oliver quickly turned to see the beams trace a symbol into the concrete between his team and Sara’s. When she was finished, smoke was rising from the burning symbol Kara had carved into the concrete: the same symbol on her chest, an S in a diamond crest._

_Oliver turned back to Kara, seeing her smile proudly at the stunned looks she was receiving. “I’m convinced,” John mumbled faintly from next to Oliver._

_“Best team-up_ ever!” _Felicity squealed as Kara flew back down._

* * *

Yeah . . . that wasn’t something he was going to share.

But he could worry about false stories about his love life later. “Carrie,” he said slowly, testing the give on the ropes tying him to the chair. “You’re delusional. Just let me go.”

“I can’t do that, lover,” Carrie shook her head, walking over and putting a hand on his face. “You’re staying with me, where you belong.”

Oliver winced, already knowing how this was going to go. “Carrie, please. Let me go, and nothing has to happen.”

Carrie scoffed, giving him a disbelieving look. “I’m keeping my eye on you. You won’t escape.”

Oliver shook his head. “I’m not the one you need to worry about.”

“What do I need to be concerned about?” Carrie rolled her eyes, her voice covering up the sound of boots landing on concrete. “Your _team?”_

A polite cough sounded behind Carrie, making her gasp and turn around. “No, actually,” Supergirl’s smile was all teeth as she strutted forward, fists on her hips. “Me.”

Carrie’s jaw closed with a click, and she released Oliver to draw one of her heart-tipped arrows, aiming at the Kryptonian. “Stay back,” she warned.

Supergirl arched a blonde eyebrow. “I have a better idea.” She stepped forward, pointing at Carrie. _“You_ step away from the mayor.”

Carrie gritted her teeth, drawing her bow to full draw. “I’ll shoot.”

Supergirl stopped, then held out her arms. “Then shoot me.”

Carrie did without further ado, and Supergirl swatted the arrow aside without a care in the world. Carrie’s eyes widened, and she quickly drew another arrow, shooting again. Supergirl faked a yawn, holding up her hand and letting the arrow snap when it hit her palm. Carrie’s breath was coming faster as Supergirl sauntered forward, and in a last ditch effort, she pulled a knife from her belt and rushed Supergirl, aiming for her heart. The blade shattered against her skin, and Carrie stared in horror at the hilt she held in her hand. She didn’t even hear Oliver attempt to stifle his snickers as she slowly looked up into the burning blue eyes of the heroine in front of her. “What are you?” she whispered in horror.

Supergirl’s grin looked just like a shark. “I’m Supergirl, stupid,” she answered, bringing her fist back and knocking Carrie out with a single punch.

Oliver watched the redhead drop like a sack of potatoes, then let out a breath and looked up at Supergirl. “You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”

“Every second of it,” she agreed, toeing Carrie out of her way and hurrying over, moving behind Oliver to check the ties securing him. One quick flare of her heat vision, and the rope fell from Oliver’s wrists. “Are you OK?” she asked in concern, moving back in front of him.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Oliver nodded, looking past her to Carrie. “I just wish she’d stop stalking me already.”

Supergirl narrowed her eyes at Carrie. “You made her sound like not that big of a deal.”

“Well, that’s because she was in prison and therefore wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“Obviously she is now,” Supergirl muttered.

“Hey,” Oliver put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. “She’s obsessed with me. It’s one way only. I feel nothing for her, OK?”

“I know,” Supergirl nodded slowly, then started to smirk. “I know.”

“Oh, do you?” Oliver raised an eyebrow.

Supergirl smirked wider as the wail of police sirens approached. “I know,” she confirmed.

Oliver stepped back in surprise as Supergirl took off and out the window, frowning. What did she have in mind?

* * *

As soon as Oliver was escorted into the police station by Dinah, he was ambushed by his Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff. “You OK, Hoss?” Rene asked at once.

“What happened?” Quentin demanded.

“Cupid,” Oliver sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “I was waiting for Kara to arrive from National City, and she drugged me.”

Quentin scoffed. “She never learns, does she?”

“You’d think,” Oliver watched as officers led Carrie in.

A clatter of heels drew his attention. “Oliver!” a familiar voice called.

Oliver turned to see his girlfriend burst through a line of officers, dressed for their date in a black off the shoulder sleeved dress, her hair tied back in a French braid bun. “Kara,” he began to say, moving towards her.

The rest of his words were cut off as Kara grabbed his shoulders and kissed him with a ferocity he had never gotten from her except in private. It took him a few seconds to respond, but then he kissed her back, ignoring they were surrounded by the Starling City Police Department for a moment.

At least, until he heard an inhuman screech and shouts from police officers. “You bitch!” Carrie yelled, and Oliver and Kara broke from their kiss to see Carrie thrashing and trying to escape the officers trying to yank her away. “He’s mine!”

“Really?” Kara smiled innocently as John approached from where Kara had come from, Oliver’s best friend desperately trying to hide a smirk. “I’d say otherwise.”

“I told you you’re delusional,” Oliver shook his head, winding his arm around his girlfriend’s waist. “Kara took my heart, locked it away, and decided to hide the key.”

Kara flashed a dangerous smile at Carrie, and Oliver had to hide his smirk as he remembered the first time he had seen that smile. Funnily enough, it was also the first time he had seen something in Kara that made him interested in her.

* * *

_“Dr. Heywood!”_

_“Don’t ‘Dr. Heywood’ me!” Oliver turned around at the hostile tone in the historian’s voice, and he held back a groan when he saw the three suits approaching Nate, the historian meeting them before they could come any further into the hangar, his eyes narrowed. “What the hell are you doing here?”_

_“I like parties,” the man in the lead smiled. “And I’m here for the mop-up.”_

_“Cover-up,” Nate corrected, narrowing his eyes. “But you can’t cover this up.”_

_Oliver scowled at the small chuckle Agent Smith let out, and he stepped forward, about to intervene, when a clatter of heels interrupted him, and a blonde head poked around Nate. “Agent Smith!” Kara greeted cheerfully, and Oliver stopped in his tracks as Agent Smith’s head whipped to Kara. “It’s so funny seeing you here!” Kara continued, stepping around Nate to speak to the agent. “I was just having the_ loveliest _chat with your president about you. I was telling her, on my Earth, we have a Department of Extranormal Operations, which deals specifically with aliens. She thought it was an excellent idea.” She stepped closer, and her tone became much colder. “She also loved my pitch about reassigning you to_ Antarctica.”

_Agent Smith glared at Kara with a mixture of fury and disbelief; behind her, Nate was sinking his teeth into his lip to avoid guffawing. Behind the agents, Oliver’s eyebrows shot up, and he hid his grin by lifting his champagne glass to his lips. Kara then gave Agent Smith the prettiest, most dangerous smile he had ever seen, gave Nate a supportive one, then strutted off, preening like a peacock. Nate watched her go before grinning at Agent Smith. “Maybe next time, you’re a little nicer to strange visitors from another planet,” he advised._

_Agent Smith sneered at Nate before turning around and storming off, his other agents following. Oliver stepped aside to let them leave, then snorted when Nate shouted one last cheeky remark. “Pack a jacket!”_

_He heard snickering from behind them, and Oliver and Nate turned to see Kara’s shoulders shaking as she hid her grin behind her champagne glass, Cisco and Felicity laughing behind her. Oliver tilted his head, looking at her with newfound respect before nodding and tilting his glass in her direction. Kara’s cheeks turned slightly red, and she returned the gesture. They took a drink at the same time, and Nate shook his head. “She is something else,” he told Oliver._

_“Yes, she is,” Oliver agreed. “She definitely is.”_

* * *

“He’s mine!” Kara called as one last parting shot as Dinah walked over to join the officers, giving Carrie a particularly rough yank to take her away.

“I’ll call Lyla and tell her Cupid’s coming back,” John muttered.

“And I’ll see if I can save that reservation of yours,” Rene added, pulling out his phone.

Oliver sighed, tugging Kara closer to him as they left the station. “I’m sorry, Kara,” he apologized. “This isn’t how I wanted tonight to go.”

“To be fair, a lot hasn’t gone how we’ve wanted it since the image of you as the Green Arrow was leaked,” Kara said quietly, leaning her head on Oliver’s arm.

“But _Cupid . . . ”_ Oliver shook his head.

“Hey,” Kara stopped him, pulling him to the side and putting a hand on his cheek; her touch was much better than Carrie’s, Oliver decided. “It’s OK. I’m just glad I got to you.”

“That was so satisfying to see,” he admitted, making Kara giggle. “My girlfriend saving me from my obsessive stalker.”

“That’s a bit cliché,” Kara mumbled, ducking her head.

“My superhero,” Oliver teased, unable to help himself.

“Stop it!”

“Make me like you did earlier,” Oliver challenged with a grin.

Kara blushed. “I can’t believe I did that.”

“I’m not complaining.”

Kara’s face turned even redder. “You wouldn’t.”

Oliver just beckoned with his finger, and Kara wrapped her arms around his neck, reaching up and kissing him. “My Supergirl,” he whispered.

Kara beamed up at him. “No one else’s I’d rather be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not entirely sure how good I am at writing one-shots based entirely on original content (not counting the flashbacks to "Invasion!") but I was pretty satisfied by how this turned out.
> 
>  _Next time from gammaxmen:_ Or instead of Snart, Barry recruits Sara for help with breaking into ARGUS, kind of like "A Call Away?"
> 
> I had a _blast_ writing that one, let me tell you.


	3. Scarlet Canary ~ No Strings On Us Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompt from gammaxmen:_ Or instead of Snart, Barry recruits Sara for help with breaking into ARGUS, kind of like "A Call Away?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during The Flash 3x22 "Infantino Street" and towards the beginning of Legends 2x14 "Moonshot."
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, or any of the DC shows and their characters. They belong to the CW and their writers.

“Are you serious?” Joe protested, sure he hadn’t heard what he thought he had just heard.

“Yeah,” Barry nodded, looking around at his team. “Yeah, if Lyla won’t let us have the Dominators’ tech, then we are gonna break into ARGUS, and we’re gonna steal it. Wally and I will phase through the walls. We’ll be in and out of there before anyone even gets off a shot.”

Wally nodded in agreement, but Cisco spoke up. “Uh, hello? No, you won’t.”

“Yeah, we – ” Barry began.

Cisco tapped his keyboard, and H.R. shot to his feet, pointing at the device Cisco had pulled up. “What is that?”

“That is a metahuman power dampener,” Cisco answered. “And it’s all over the building, so you can’t use your powers inside.”

Barry seethed, mind spinning with ideas to try. “Can we use anything else to power this Speed Force gun?” Joe asked.

“Speed Force bazooka,” H.R. corrected.

“Bazooka,” Joe nodded.

“Nothing else,” Cisco shook his head grimly. “Manipulating extra-dimensional energy requires . . . well, a ridiculous amount of energy, and the Dominator tech’s the only thing that can do that.”

“Hey,” H.R. perked up. “I have – I have an idea, gang. What if we just put you, put Iris on a plane to Paris – ”

“No,” Barry shook his head.

“Or somewhere far away?”

“There’s nowhere on Earth that Savitar wouldn’t find her,” Barry looked over at his sister, who was chewing her lip anxiously. “Guys, stealing this Dominators’ tech is our only option, all right?”

“Barry, ARGUS is more secure than the Pentagon,” Iris told him. “If your powers don’t work in there, how are you gonna get past security?”

“OK,” Cisco took a deep breath. “This is what we’re dealing with: surveillance cameras.”

“I’m out,” H.R. shook his head.

“Eye scans.”

“Nope.”

“Palm prints, heat sensors.”

“What?”

“Laser sensors.”

“They really thought of everything, didn’t they?” H.R. grimaced, rubbing the back of his head.

“That’s just the first floor,” Cisco agreed.

“So you’re saying this is the most fortified structure in the history of fortified structures, they can’t use their superpowers, and we have less than 14 hours to steal the thing,” Joe gestured at the schematics, swallowing hard.

“And none of us are master thieves or spies,” Iris sighed.

When “thieves” left Iris’s mouth, Barry’s mind spiraled one way. When she said “spies” it went a completely new way. “No,” he said slowly. “No, we’re not.”

* * *

_“Captain, if I may have a moment of your time.”_

Sara paused in the action of taking off her overcoat to change, frowning and looking up. “What is it, Gideon?”

_“I have found a man who appears to be Barry Allen within the ship’s scans.”_

Sara closed her eyes and facepalmed. _Barry, what are you doing?_ “Where is he, Gideon?” she asked, opening the door to her bunk.

_“He is approaching our current coordinates.”_

“Thank you,” Sara sighed, heading for the cargo bay. Everyone else was still preparing to head to NASA in 1970; no one would see her leave.

* * *

Barry took a deep breath when he saw the _Waverider,_ then paused when he saw the ramp lower. A few seconds later, Sara walked out, locked eyes on him, and beelined to him. “You time traveled,” she stated, a note of accusation in her voice.

“I need your help,” Barry cut right to the chase.

Sara narrowed her eyes, then folded her arms. “Barry, we are in Manhattan in 1965. You came all this way to ask me _for my help?_ Why not just send a message to the _Waverider?”_

“Because this needed to be shared in person,” Barry answered. “And there was no telling how soon the _Waverider_ would get a message. I needed to tell you now.”

“Now,” Sara repeated, frowning. “You really must be desperate if you’re resorting to time travel.”

“Sara, please,” Barry sighed. “Just hear me out, OK?”

Sara stared long and hard at him before sighing. “What do you need?”

He took a deep breath. “I wanna recruit you for a mission.”

Sara raised an eyebrow. “I’m already working on a mission right now. We’re just about to leave, actually. I need more than that.”

“Would it help if I said please?”

Sara snorted. “Barry, you work with other superheroes. Why ask me?”

“Well . . . ” Barry fidgeted. “You have a particular set of skills.”

“A particular set of skills,” Sara repeated, tilting her head. “Get to the point. Either tell me, or I get on that ship and leave.”

Barry bit his lip, then sighed as Sara turned to head back to the _Waverider._ “Iris.”

Sara froze in place. “Your sister.”

“Yeah,” Barry nodded, looking down.

Sara turned back around, pursing her lips. “What about her?”

“If you don’t help me, she’s gonna die,” Barry answered.

Sara closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “Damn it, Barry . . . that’s low, using a ‘save my sister’ card against me.”

“It’s all I’ve got,” Barry held out his hands helplessly. “I’ve lost my mom and my dad to my enemies. I can’t lose my sister to a speedster, too. Sara . . . _please.”_

Sara licked her lips and looked to the side, then closed her eyes. She exhaled slowly, then looked back at Barry. “What do we need to do?”

Barry could have collapsed in relief. “We need to break into ARGUS and steal an alien power source.”

“From the Dominators?” Sara guessed. When Barry nodded, she took a deep breath. “OK. Just let me get out of . . . _this,”_ she gestured to the outfit she wore, “and get some gear from the _Waverider._ I’ll be right back.”

“Thank you, Sara,” Barry told her with a relieved smile.

“Thank me when we have the power source,” Sara told him, turning on her heel and walking to the _Waverider._

* * *

“That is . . . a lot of equipment,” Barry remarked later as he led Sara towards the cortex.

Sara looked over her shoulder at the pack on her back, then shrugged. “If we’re stealing from ARGUS and this place is as fortified as you say, we’ll need anything we can get.”

Barry conceded the point as they walked into the cortex, just in time to hear Cisco say “What about the counter-terrorism missiles?”

 _“What?”_ H.R.’s eyes widened.

“Let’s avoid getting hit by counter-terrorism missiles,” Sara said dryly to Barry.

“Good idea,” Barry agreed as H.R. spun around.

“Sara?” several people asked in surprise at the same time.

Sara pursed her lips, then looked at Barry. “You didn’t tell them you were getting me?”

“I didn’t know if you’d say yes,” Barry confessed.

Sara nodded in understanding, patting his shoulder. “Well, I did.”

“Wait,” Joe said slowly. “Is Sara – ?”

“Yeah,” Barry nodded. “Sara’s gonna help me break into ARGUS, get the power source.”

H.R. did a double take, then managed to sputter out, “Huh?”

“Surprise,” Sara made jazz hands.

“But aren’t you supposed to be with the Legends?” Cisco asked.

“Supposed to be, yes,” Sara nodded.

“You time traveled again?” Joe gawked at Barry. “That’s what got us into this mess in the first place!”

“I thought you said you would never do that again,” Iris scowled.

Sara arched an eyebrow. “Your brother risked the timeline to come and get me so he could save your life. I could always ask him to take me back, if you’re not that concerned about dying?”

“No,” Barry shook his head as Iris sputtered, her eyes widening. “Sara, please – ”

“Well, it’s her life on the line,” Sara shrugged nonchalantly. “If she doesn’t appreciate the lengths you’re going to take to try and stop her from dying – ”

“I didn’t say that!” Iris protested.

Sara nodded absently, humming to herself as she turned around. “Cisco, show me what we’re dealing with.”

“Yes, Captain,” Cisco responded at once, hurrying to his computer. “Captain. Should I call you that?”

“Pull it up.”

“Yeah, pulling it up,” Cisco cleared his throat.

Sara folded her arms, looking up at Joe and Iris. “Is anyone going to complain about me helping?” Silence. “Good,” Sara looked at Barry. “I guess you’re stuck with me.”

Barry smiled shyly. “Not that bad, I guess.”

“I better not be,” Sara smirked.

“Here,” Cisco told Sara, pulling up the schematics.

Sara leaned against the computers, taking a few moments to look over the layout. “OK,” she stood up and walked over. “My guess is the power source is most likely here,” she pointed.

“Why there?” Joe tilted his head.

“Because it’s the deepest part of the facility,” Sara answered. “And because Dominators’ tech is so valuable, then the deepest recesses of any facility are usually the most secure.”

“Smart, Sara,” Cisco nodded.

“Just make sure,” Sara advised.

“Do you have any idea what else might be down there?” Barry looked at Sara.

“I don’t know,” Sara shook her head. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from being a Legend, it’s that anything can go wrong at any moment. So just follow my lead and be prepared for anything to go off the rails.”

“I will,” Barry nodded. “I’m trusting you.”

“We all are,” Iris nodded.

Sara nodded, looking at Barry. “Then let’s save your sister.”

* * *

“Here,” Cisco handed Sara an earpiece.

“Thank you, Cisco,” Sara took it, fixing it in place and checking the weapons she had on her body. She noticed Cisco fidget out of the corner of her eye, and she sighed, looking up. “What?”

“Barry’s going to change time,” Cisco finally blurted. “And you chewed him out for it before.”

“I did,” Sara nodded, zipping up her jacket. “And I had no right to, considering I tried to kill Damien Darhk in the past several times to stop him from killing Laurel. Hell, the Legends were formed to change time, and if we got lucky, save Rip’s family, too. I was a hypocrite to berate Barry when we’ve had problems saving time. And I know how it feels to have a sister that I couldn’t save because of the timeline. If I have a chance to spare Barry that pain . . . ” She twirled a knife and slid it into a sheath on her leg. “I’ll take it.” She patted Cisco’s shoulder, smirking when he flinched. “Don’t try and stop me.”

“Nope,” Cisco squeaked out.

Sara flashed him a smile, then turned and walked out of the cortex, where Barry was waiting. She tilted her head when she saw him press a button on his watch, and she raised an eyebrow when she saw a timer start. “What’s that?”

“It’s how much time we have left,” Barry answered shortly.

“Before what?”

He sighed. “Before we lose.”

Sara eyed Barry, noting the very tense look on his face she had never seen on him when they had fought the Dominators, and she finally nodded. “Let’s not lose, then.”

* * *

One of the ARGUS agents at the main desk looked up when the doors opened, and he straightened when Lyla Michaels walked in, escorting a handcuffed man in a parka. “Director Michaels,” the agent greeted in surprise. “I thought you were en route to San Francisco.”

“Plans changed,” Lyla responded, eyeing the man she had with her. “I received an unexpected gift from the Flash.”

The agent looked at the man, then did a double take. _“Captain Cold?”_

“Always nice to meet a fan,” Leonard Snart’s smile was all teeth.

“I’m taking the prisoner to lock-up,” Lyla told the agent.

“Of course,” he nodded. “We’ll just need your ID.” Lyla nodded and took her ID, holding it up to the scan. The agent watched Lyla’s information appear, then nodded when the ID was accepted. “Your eye scan?” Lyla leaned down to let it commence, and the agent nodded when everything lit up green. “And finally, Director Michaels . . . Elvis, banana.” Lyla stiffened, and the agent saw Snart give her an unreadable look. “I repeat, ma’am,” the agent narrowed his eyes. “Elvis, banana.”

Lyla and Snart exchanged looks again, then both moved at the same time, Snart showing he had gotten one hand out of his handcuffs. They each took one guard, knocking them out effortlessly. Lyla raised a slim, pen-like device and held it up under her chin, blue light silhouetting her face. Lyla’s image flickered out, replaced with Barry in a black jumpsuit and jacket. “Nice moves,” Snart complimented, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Barry frowned, pitching the device to him. “I thought you weren’t going to do anything?”

Snart caught the device one-handed and held it up under his chin. Snart’s image flickered out, replaced with Sara in an outfit similar to Barry’s, her hair French braided out of her face. “Like I was gonna let you have all the action,” she snarked, looking at the device she held. “What’s this?”

“Transmogrifier from H.R.’s Earth,” Barry answered.

“Ah,” Sara nodded, twirling it before tossing it back. “Trade you.”

“Sure thing,” Barry handed her backpack to her. “Cisco, where to next?”

“OK, you will take the . . . east elevator?” Cisco’s voice came over their comms.

“They should do the west elevator,” a female voice interrupted.

“I agree with Tracy,” H.R. pitched in.

“Barry, take the west elevator,” Cisco went with what they said.

* * *

Barry and Sara emerged from the elevator into a dimly lit corridor. When they came across a locked door on the side, Sara stopped dead in her tracks when she heard an animalistic roar. “What the hell?” she frowned, turning around and squinting at the name on the cell. “Grodd . . . who’s _Grodd?”_

“Telepathic gorilla,” Barry answered, curling his lip as he looked at the cell. “Spared his life on another Earth, so he could invade Central City.” Sara backed away from the cell, then did a double take when she heard Barry mutter, “That’s what mercy gets you.”

Sara frowned, giving the speedster a wary look. This was . . . far from the speedster she had met back when Dominators were invading. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she mumbled, following him further down the hall. Both she and Barry looked around at other cells, and Sara frowned, examining the cell labels. “Cheetah, Cupid . . . ”

“This must be where Waller kept her Suicide Squad,” Barry realized.

“How cheery,” Sara wrinkled her nose.

Barry nodded in agreement, then caught sight of a door down another hall, a glowing red item coming from inside. “I think this is it,” he told Sara. “Come on.”

Sara nodded and lightly jogged after Barry. When she saw a familiar-looking device on the other side of the door, she grimaced. “If that’s not Dominators’ tech, I don’t know what it is.”

Barry nodded, eyeing the door, then put a hand on his earpiece. “Cisco, we found it.” He frowned when he didn’t receive an immediate response, instead getting static. “Cisco?” he repeated, backing away to try and get a clear signal. Sara watched him go, then curiously approached the lock by the door. “Hey, Cisco, can you read me?”

“Loud and clear,” Cisco responded.

“Hey. Uh, so, we found it.”

“Jackpot!” H.R. cheered.

“But there seems to be some kind of signal interference at the end of the hall, and the lock is the Montgomery 3000.”

Cisco’s annoyed groan was very audible. “The Montgomery 3000 . . . ”

“Wait, is that bad?” H.R. asked.

“Well, we’re looking at a 25-ton door that can withstand a 30-megaton nuclear blast. And aside from being completely bulletproof, the Montgomery 3000 can only be unlocked by a voice-recognition system necessitating three different passcodes from three different people – ” Barry closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as he listened to Cisco rattle off all the characteristics. “And as if that weren’t already enough, the thing costs _ten million dollars_ to build.”

A loud click came from behind Barry, and he whipped around, eyes wide, to see Sara look up from the lock. “And I have the best AI who runs the best timeship in the universe,” she said smugly, removing a chip from the lock. “Thank you, Gideon.”

Barry shook his head in disbelief. “Well, ARGUS should ask for their money back,” he remarked, walking over.

Sara pocketed the chip in her belt, and she and Barry grabbed onto the door, slowly starting to lift it. They had barely lifted it an inch or so when Sara froze. “Wait,” she stopped, and Barry frowned at her. “I thought I heard – ” A roar came from the other side of the door, and Barry and Sara plastered themselves on opposite sides of the door, their view of the Dominators’ tech blocked by – “Is that a _shark?!”_ Sara’s jaw dropped.

“Technically, it’s half-man, half-shark,” Barry corrected automatically.

“Half – ” Sara cut herself off, rolling her eyes towards the sky and closing her eyes. “I am the captain of a group of time traveling heroes and villains. I have seen zombies during the Civil War. I helped save America. I fought in Camelot. I took down an Egyptian demigod. I have fought Dominators. Why does a half-man, half-shark surprise me?”

“I can’t believe ARGUS turned King Shark into a guard dog,” Barry grumbled.

 _“King Shark?”_ Sara repeated, giving him an exasperated look. “You have _got_ to be kidding me.”

“Well, this is when I’m glad you brought that,” Barry nodded to Sara’s pack. “What’s in it?”

Sara slipped it off her back and opened it, looking through its contents. Something immediately caught Barry’s eye, and he froze. “Is that an anti-speedster gun?”

Sara looked up, then nodded. “We’ve been dealing with a speedster recently, we had a few guns made just in case.”

“Well, give it to me,” Barry gestured for it.

Sara took it out, then paused, looking at Barry. “What’s your plan with using it?”

Barry gritted his teeth. “Sara, there’s only one way that tech’s getting out of here.”

Sara looked off to the side at King Shark, then scoffed, looking at Barry. “Those ‘special skills’ you mentioned . . . they weren’t just to help you get into ARGUS. You wanted an assassin in case this got bloody.”

“I told you what I’m up against, all right?” Barry ground out. “Give me the gun!”

Sara scowled at him. “Barry, do you really want to kill that . . . King Shark? It’s not completely human, I’ll give you that, but you do not want to know what it’s like to have a kill like that on your conscience. Take it from an assassin whose hands are _drenched_ in blood.”

“Do you have another idea, Sara?” Barry yelled at her.

“Yes, I do,” Sara snapped. “You brought me here to help you, right? So for God’s sake, Barry, _let me help you if it means stopping you from doing something you’ll regret!”_

Rage-filled green eyes met defiant blue, and Barry growled in defeat. “Then what’s your idea?”

Sara sat back on her heels, putting the gun in her lap, holding in a sigh of relief. “Most sharks are cold-blooded, but that looks like a great white,” she pointed to the door. “That means he’s partially warm-blooded.”

“He’s susceptible to cold,” Barry nodded.

“Never strays into water colder than 53.6 degrees Fahrenheit,” Sara nodded. “If we lower the temperature in that room to _53.5_ degrees, King Shark should fall asleep, no harm done.” She held out her hands. “Or we could go with your plan, which is to kill him.” She arched an eyebrow. “Which if I know you even a little bit, Barry, I don’t think that’s what you want to do at all.”

Barry clenched his teeth, then shook his head. “I thought you would sympathize with me,” he muttered, glaring at her triumphant look as she worked on the gun.

“What?” she asked, popping the gun open. “Killing to save your sister?”

“Like you haven’t thought about going back in time to kill Damien Darhk to save Laurel,” Barry gave her a look.

“I thought about it for months,” Sara looked up at Barry. “Came close to it several times. You know what stopped me? I had a team looking out for me to make sure I didn’t. Not just because time was at stake, but also because they care about me.” She popped a cartridge out of the gun and leaned towards Barry. “A word of advice, Barry? If you wanted someone who wouldn’t mind you killing to get this done, don’t invite someone who’s had a similar experience to you.”

Barry bit his lip, thinking about that, then nodded at the cartridge in her gloved hand. “Will this work?”

“Rule one with the Legends: anything can go wrong at any moment,” Sara looked the cartridge over, then grinned at Barry. “Rule two: improvise the hell out of the moment when it goes wrong.” Barry snorted loudly and nodded, and Sara nodded back, rolling the cartridge under the door. Cold billowed out of the cartridge, blocking their view, and the two exchanged looks. A few seconds later, there was a loud thud from inside, and Sara grinned. “Night night, King Shark.”

“Nicely done, Captain Lance,” Barry admitted.

Sara smiled and stood up, elbowing the lock on the side. With a flash of circuitry, the door to the room opened. “Damsels in distress first.”

Barry snorted. “Pearls before swine.”

Sara mocked a gasp as she followed Barry inside. “Never call a lady a swine!”

“Then don’t call me a damsel in distress,” Barry threw right back.

They walked into the room, wincing when King Shark snarled. “Reminds me of _Jaws,”_ Sara tried to peer through the fog. “They didn’t show the shark because they couldn’t afford to make it look good.”

Barry looked around as they walked towards the Dominators’ tech, then froze when a shark fin rose from the fog. He felt Sara grab his arm to stop him anyway, and both watched anxiously. The fin dipped back below the fog, and Barry exhaled shakily. “Well, Miss Shark Expert,” he looked at Sara. “How long will he stay asleep?”

“Leonard and I binged Shark Week on the _Waverider,_ I’m not a marine biologist,” Sara blushed.

Barry nodded slowly, then looked down at his arm . . . and Sara’s hand still on it. “Uh . . . Sara?” She took a quick look down, then let go as if she was burnt. “Right,” he cleared his throat, turning back towards the Dominators’ tech. “Let’s get this.”

Sara nodded in agreement, biting her lip. Barry walked up to the glowing red device, then took a deep breath, reaching to the top. Sara slowly approached, watching Barry extract a slim piece of the glowing red device, and she smiled slightly. “That’s it?”

“That’s it,” Barry agreed, grinning.

Lights turned red, and Sara blanched whipped around, eyes wide. “Barry!”

He started moving just a second before she did, partly because she was on the side of the tech furthest from the door. Barry slid underneath just before it slammed shut, and Sara had to skid on the slippery floor before she smashed into it headfirst. She had to plant her palms flat on the door, and she winced at the force of her body colliding with it. She winced, then heard Barry’s panicked voice. “Sara!”

She straightened to look through the glass, meeting Barry’s eyes again. “Well, what are you waiting for?” she gestured wildly. “Go!”

“What?!” he looked at her like she was insane.

“This place is gonna be crawling with ARGUS agents in the next two minutes! You need to go!”

“You’re kidding, right?” Barry demanded.

“You have what you need!” Sara jabbed with her pointer finger at the red device in Barry’s hand. “You can save Iris! _Go!”_

“I’m not leaving you!” Barry shook his head.

“Barry, I’m not what matters right now,” Sara shook her head. “You asked me to come save your sister, and I came because you don’t deserve to lose her like I lost Laurel! So make the tough call and _go!_ Save Iris when I couldn’t save Laurel!”

Barry stared at her in shock. This was the same woman who had tore into him for causing Flashpoint, messing up the timeline . . . and here she was, telling him to go make sure he could save Iris, potentially messing time up again even though it was in the future. He clenched his jaw, then backed away, putting a hand on his earpiece. “Cisco, we need your help,” he barked. “I have the energy source, but Sara’s trapped inside the cell with King Shark. You gotta open the door.”

“I can’t hack into the mainframe!” Cisco responded.

“Hurry, all right?” Without waiting for an answer, Barry walked back to the door, where Sara was staring at him like he was crazy this time. “Cisco’s working on it,” he told her. “I asked you to come here. It’s my fault you’re in there. I’m not leaving without you.”

Sara swallowed hard. “But Iris – !”

Barry’s eyes slid over her shoulder, and he gulped. “Whatever you do, don’t look behind you.”

Sara’s ears still worked though, and when she heard the menacing growl behind her, she swallowed again, slowly peering over her shoulder to see King Shark looming over her. She gulped, then looked at Barry. “If Cisco gets me out of here, he’s becoming my new favorite tech geek.”

The door suddenly cracked open, and both heroes burst into action. “Come on, come on!” Barry urged as Sara dropped to her stomach. “Come on, come on!”

Sara slid under the door, then felt a jaw clamp on her boot. She yelped more in shock than anything, fingers scrambling for something to hold onto as she was pulled back under the door. “Barry!”

He lunged for her hand, and Sara grabbed on tightly. “I got you!” he promised, adjusting his grip. “I got you, I got you! Hang on!”

Sara twisted her body slightly, risking letting go of Barry to reach for one of her knives, but King Shark yanked again, and Sara flailed, grabbing for Barry’s hand again. “Ah!”

Barry gritted his teeth and pulled her harder, until Sara was completely out from under the door and only King Shark’s arm was underneath. “Now, Cisco, now!” he yelled. “Close it!” The door slammed down, severing King Shark’s arm. Sara collapsed for a second, and her breath left her in a rush. In the next second, Barry was scrambling to help her up. “Are you OK?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, accepting his help in standing. “Yeah, I’m OK.” They both took a second to look at King Shark’s arm, and she winced. “Ouch.”

“Yeah,” Barry nodded in agreement, checking through the window.

Sara peeked in to look as well, and both watched King Shark’s limb grow back. “Whoa,” Sara blinked.

“OK,” Barry backed up. “Let’s get out of here.” Sara nodded, turning to go with him, only to stop when she came face to face with several cocked guns . . . and an angry-looking ARGUS director. “Lyla,” he greeted weakly.

“Barry,” she nodded curtly, then looked at Sara. “Sara.”

* * *

“I told you I couldn’t give this to you,” Lyla snapped at Barry later.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

“And you snuck in here anyway?” she demanded.

“To save Iris’s life, Lyla,” he nodded determinedly. “Yeah, I’ll do anything.”

Lyla considered him, then said, “Not _anything.”_ At his confused look, Lyla went on. “I saw the whole thing on the security monitors. You could have left Sara to die, but you risked your freedom and Iris’s life to save her.”

Barry looked at the silent blonde, then simply nodded. Lyla sighed, then extended her hand. Barry’s eyes widened, seeing the confiscated power source in her hand, ready to be taken. “You’re just gonna let me have it?” he asked in disbelief.

“I couldn’t let Iris die knowing that that could save her,” Lyla nodded. “And I know you’d do the same thing for me if it were John’s life on the line.”

Barry nodded in agreement, taking the device. “Thank you.”

“Now go,” Lyla ordered. “Do it. And Sara, don’t you have some time travelers to get back to?”

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Sara agreed, looking at Barry.

* * *

“Manhattan, 1965,” Barry walked with Sara towards the hidden _Waverider._ “Back as promised.”

“I better be,” Sara smirked, but there was no bite in her voice.

Barry paused, then looked at her. “Sara,” he began, and when she turned to look at him, he swallowed. “Did you think I had it in me? To leave you behind?”

Sara tilted her head. “I didn’t know,” she answered. “Considering this is the second time we’ve seen each other, I didn’t have much to go on besides whatever my crew told me about you. But I’m not always optimistic, so pardon me if I could see a bit of bad in you.”

Barry chuckled. “You’re pardoned.”

Sara nodded, then sighed. “Look, Barry . . . if this . . . whoever – ”

“Savitar,” Barry told her, realizing he had never told Sara who would kill Iris.

“Savitar,” Sara nodded. “If he wants you to play his game, then don’t. If you want to beat him by being bad, don’t. When you chose to follow my idea, save me . . . that’s your strength. Goodness. That’s who you need to be.” She smiled fondly. “The Flash is a hero. He should stay that way.”

Barry smiled, blushing a bit at the compliment. “The White Canary’s a hero, too.”

“Oh, she’s not a hero,” Sara waved it off. Barry frowned, about to argue, when Sara winked. “She’s a _Legend.”_

Barry laughed, making Sara grin wider. “Thank you, Sara,” he told her. “Really . . . thank you. For helping me save Iris.”

“You played a dirty card, pulling a ‘save a sister,’” Sara shook her head. “But I meant what I said. Killing Darhk to save Laurel would have too many consequences. The future . . . we don’t know anything about it yet, and if I don’t look, then there’s nothing for me to save. There’s no strings on us that way. I may not be able to do anything to save Laurel, but I can help you save Iris.” She looked up at him. “Even though you risked that to save me, too.”

Barry shook his head. “You’re worth saving, too, Sara.”

Sara smiled, looking down at her feet. “Thank you, Barry.”

He nodded, then tilted his head. “Do you like ice cream?”

Sara blinked at the non sequitur. “Who doesn’t like ice cream?” Barry was gone in a flash of lightning, and when it returned, Sara suddenly held a vanilla cone in her hand. “What the – ” she did a double take, then _cackled_ at Barry’s grin. “Oh, _yes!”_

“A little parting gift,” Barry chuckled. “Take care of yourself, Sara.”

“I will,” she nodded, taking a large lick of the cone. “Just do me a favor?”

“Hmm?” Barry nodded.

“Don’t let Savitar win,” she told him.

“I’ll try,” Barry nodded. “And if you need a hand with that speedster of yours – ”

“I’ll call,” Sara promised, extending her hand. “Only if you do the same.”

“Will do,” Barry confirmed, shaking her hand.

She surprised him by squeezing and then giving him a quick hug. “No strings,” she reminded him.

Barry relaxed, giving her a hug back. “No strings on us,” he agreed.

When they pulled back, Sara took a deep breath. “Save your sister,” she ordered softly.

Barry nodded, flicking off a lazy salute. “Aye aye, captain,” he nodded, turning around and zipping off.

Sara watched him go, then took another lick of her cone and walked back to the _Waverider._ She ascended the ramp, thinking over the mission she had just gone on as she pulled the tie free of her hair. It had been a while since she had been in the field with just one person, and being with Barry . . . it hadn’t made her uncomfortable, per se. On the contrary, she had felt at complete ease working with him. But working with Barry . . . there was something there that wasn’t like working with her team. It was almost like when she had worked with Oliver for a while when . . . when . . .

She stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh, God,” her eyes widened. It was just like when she was working with Oliver . . . when she still had feelings for him. “I am _so_ screwed,” she whispered.

“Sara?” Nate’s voice came from down the hall. “Is that you?”

She quickly ducked into her room, Gideon closing the door behind her. “Uh, Gideon?” she cleared her throat.

_“Yes, Captain?”_

“Let’s get to 1970.”

 _“Of course, Captain.”_ There was a short pause. _“How was your mission, Captain?”_

Sara pulled out the chip she had used, a small smile on her face. “There are no strings on us,” she repeated quietly, then put the chip down. “Let the team know I’ll be there soon.”

_“Yes, Captain.”_

Sara pulled her jacket off and tossed it she didn’t care where. “Savitar,” she repeated the name of Barry’s villain.

Why didn’t she like the sound of that name?

* * *

_"You lose, Barry!”_

_“NO!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I couldn't write "Infantino Street" without writing what happens in "Finish Line" afterwards. There is a second part to this, which will be uploaded later.
> 
> Keep sending in prompts! I always welcome them!


	4. Scarlet Canary ~ No Strings On Us Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The continuation from the previous prompt by gammaxmen: Or instead of Snart, Barry recruits Sara for help with breaking into ARGUS, kind of like "A Call Away?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recognizable content comes from Legends of Tomorrow 2x17 "Aruba" and The Flash 3x23 "Finish Line."
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, or any of the DC shows and their characters. They belong to the CW and their writers.

_“He is necessary.”_

Those three words rang in Sara’s head as she sat in her office on the _Waverider,_ her finger tracing the top of the glass she had just finished drinking from. She could feel eyes burning into the back of her head, and she sighed, spinning around. “OK, let me hear it.”

“After all he’s done, you’re letting him live?” Amaya demanded, storming up the steps into the office, trailed by a nervous-looking Ray, a timid Nate, and a mostly expressionless Rip. “Changing time, _killing_ Rex, changing _reality itself?_ And he gets to just sit in a cell?”

Sara’s eyes slid to the other three. “Anyone else have anything to add?”

“Uh,” Nate cleared his throat. “Just – just wondering when we got a pair of power-dampening cuffs.”

“Sara,” Rip took a cautious step forward. “I have admired how you have led the team, however . . . with what Thawne has done to all of us – ”

“I planned on letting that . . . whatever it was . . . deal with him,” Sara explained, standing up and walking around her office. Something was keeping her unnerved, even though she knew Thawne didn’t have anything on them now. Merlyn, Darhk, and Leonard were back to their proper times, and Thawne was back in a cell, complete with cuffs she . . . _borrowed_. . . from S.T.A.R. Labs. So what was bothering her? “But something . . . happened instead.”

* * *

_The stunned look on Thawne’s face was priceless when he opened his eyes and realized nothing was happening around him. “I may have made_ one _small change to reality,” Sara smirked._

 _He scowled, glaring at her. “You negated the Spear.” Sara lifted her head proudly, and Thawne scoffed, hefting the spear up. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to do this the old-fashioned way. I am going to drive_ this _through your heart.”_

_Before he could move forward, an inhuman roar came from behind Sara. Thawne froze in place, and Sara’s smirk widened. “Yeah, about that . . . ”_

_The speedster that had been following Thawne all this time flashed into existence behind Sara, roaring loudly. “No,” Thawne whispered, eyes widening as his face drained of color._

_He sped forward, as if trying to outrun his fate, and Sara turned around to see the other speedster grab Thawne by the neck, raising his hand to thrust into Thawne’s heart. But the speedster froze for a split second, then shoved his hand into Thawne’s shoulder instead. Thawne yelled in pain, and the speedster took the Spear and knocked Thawne out with it. He disappeared in red lightning, and Sara whipped around to see all of Thawne’s other selves fade out of existence._

_Her view was obscured by a horribly scarred, cowled face, and she inhaled sharply. The speedster roared in her face . . . then spoke for the first time._

“He is necessary.”

_Sara merely blinked, and the speedster vanished, leaving Thawne slumped on the ground. She looked back at the yellow-clad speedster, watching him for any sign of movement as her team, and her future self, got back to their feet._

_What had that monster meant?_

* * *

“He is necessary?” Amaya’s voice was the highest Sara had ever heard it. “What could he be _necessary_ for?”

“Amaya, I don’t know,” Sara gave her a condescending look. “If I did, I would tell you.”

“What could we possibly still need Thawne for?” Rip frowned.

Sara turned to glare at him, only to pause when Ray started thinking out loud. “The only thing he could be necessary for is if we have another speedster problem.”

_Speedster problem?_

_“I can’t lose my sister to a speedster, too.”_

_Savitar._

“Ray, you’re a genius!” Sara ran past her teammates at once.

“I am?” he blinked in confusion.

“Sara?” Jax asked, he and Martin slowing as they and Mick entered the bridge.

“Stay here!” she called over her shoulder, hurrying to where Thawne was kept.

* * *

Sara only slowed when Thawne came into view. The speedster looked up at her with a sneer on his face. “Come to gloat?” he asked harshly, holding up his cuffed hands. Sara chose to fold her arms, chewing her lip. “Oh, what?” Thawne scowled. “Are you here to give me a stare down? It’ll take more than an assassin’s death stare to make me cave.”

“That . . . _thing . . ._ chose to let you live,” Sara finally began. At this point, her mouth and her mind weren’t connected. “Why?”

“That _demon?”_ Thawne snorted. “I can’t imagine why. It serves the Speed Force. Because my ancestor killed himself, I am supposed to be dead.”

“But you’re not.” As soon as she said the words, Sara winced. Well, _obviously_ he wasn’t.

“Congratulations, Captain Obvious,” Thawne snarked, rolling his eyes. “It should have erased me, and it didn’t. I don’t know why. Your guess is as good as mine.”

“OK,” Sara took a deep breath. “Then you can answer another question of mine.”

“Because that’s why I’m here,” Thawne spread his hands as much as he could, given he was wearing the cuffs. “To be your version of the Internet.”

“Then give me an answer,” Sara stepped forward to the glass. “Who is Savitar?”

She did not expect to see all the blood drain from Thawne’s face for the second time in less than twenty-four hours. She definitely didn’t expect to see Thawne collapse back against the wall of the cell. “How – ” He swallowed hard, then locked eyes with her. “How do you know that name?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Sara shook her head, narrowing her eyes. “I want to know who Savitar is.”

“Why?” Thawne’s eyes were narrowed in a second. “You shouldn’t care.”

“But I do,” Sara countered. “I know Savitar is a speedster meant to kill Iris West. That affects Barry.” She leaned forward, eyes boring into his. “And considering your past with Barry, I bet you know who he is.”

Thawne glared back at her before doing something that surprised her. He _laughed._ “You’re giving me very good reasons not to say anything at all.”

Something inside Sara snapped at the sound, and she smacked the control to open the door. Whipping a knife from her belt, she grabbed Thawne by the collar and smashed him into the ground. “Sara!” Jax burst into room, even as Sara dug her knee into Thawne’s ribcage and held her knife to his throat.

“Boss!” Mick was right behind him.

“I don’t have a problem killing you,” Sara hissed as the rest of her team ran in, looking at her with various horrified looks. “Gideon!” she called to the ceiling. “Tell me what you know – ”

“He’s known to speedsters as the first speedster,” Thawne coughed, and Sara looked back down at Thawne, who was glaring up at her with pure hate. “The God of Speed in a metal suit of armor, and the fastest speedster of them all. He challenged other powerful speedsters who were a potential threat. And he killed them.”

“A god,” Sara scoffed. “Why would a god need armor.” She dug her knife in deeper, smirking when a trickle of blood ran from a cut she made. “What does Savitar want with Iris?”

Thawne chuckled darkly. “In 2020, the Flash created time remnants of himself to try and stop Savitar, and Savitar killed every single one . . . all except one. And that time remnant was rejected by everyone on his team because he wasn’t the original Flash. He was alone and in pain . . . so much pain that he realized he needed to stop feeling pain. And since God feels no pain . . . the only way to stop feeling pain was to become God.”

Sara froze, looking down at Thawne. “No,” she whispered, shaking her head. _“No.”_

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Thawne smirked cruelly up at her. “How time always catches up with you. Savitar wanted revenge on the Flash because of what happened to him, and he was created. So he wanted to destroy the original Flash even further.”

“No,” Sara shook her head, throwing Thawne down and standing up, backing up towards the door.

“And what better way than by taking his sister?” Thawne sneered, giving Sara a maniacal look as Ray rushed to shut the door to the cell, Nate and Mick holding Sara back. “How about that? The Flash gets to watch his time remnant kill his sister right in front of him! And the best part? A time remnant retains the memories of the original.”

Sara ripped herself free from her teammates, storming forward. “So ARGUS?” she demanded. “Stealing the Dominators’ tech? That was all for nothing?”

Thawne’s laughter made her blood boil. “And the Flash loses.”

“Sara?” Jax whispered behind her.

 _“Captain,”_ Gideon’s tense voice said. _“There is a priority message coming from Central City.”_

Sara clenched her jaw, and she spun on her heel, marching off. “Play it, Gideon,” she ordered.

When she arrived on the bridge, there was a click, and a familiar voice played, one that almost made Sara collapse where she stood. _“Sara?”_ Iris West’s voice came over the speakers, and she sounded like she’d been crying. _“It’s me. Um . . . ”_ She took a shaky breath, and Sara braced herself on the console as the rest of the team filed in. _“H.R. took my place. Savitar killed him instead of me. I’m OK . . . but Savitar . . . he has another plan. One that involves him still becoming a god. I don’t know if this will get to you in time, but if there is anything . . . and I mean_ anything . . . _that you can do . . . ”_ She sniffed, and Sara closed her eyes. _“I don’t know if Barry can face himself. Please, Sara.”_

Sara closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths. “You know what to do, Gideon,” she straightened and turned, on a one-way track to her bunk.

 _“Setting a course for May 23 rd, 2017,” _Gideon responded dutifully.

Protests sounded behind her, most of all Rip’s. “We need to handle Thawne, Sara!”

“Do you plan on letting him out of those cuffs any time soon, Rip?” Sara glared at him over her shoulder. “Or out of his cell? Then I don’t think he’s going anywhere for a while, Rip. Besides, Barry dealt with him first. I’m going to help him with Savitar, and when everything calms down from that mess, we’ll give him Thawne.” She quirked an eyebrow. “Only right to give him the speedster that killed his mother, don’t you think?”

Rip’s mouth opened and shut, but he didn’t respond. Sara proceeded to slam her door shut in his face, walking over to her closet to find her suit.

* * *

The hallway was empty when she walked down it, checking her weapons. _“Captain, we’ve arrived,”_ Gideon announced. _“I’m tracking the location of Barry Allen now.”_

“Thank you, Gideon,” Sara clicked a magazine cartridge into place in one of her two handguns. She wasn’t stupid enough to think she could get close enough to a speedster to fight using her batons; at least, not without a way to take away said speedster’s powers first. “Let me know when you find him.”

“Sara?”

She stopped in her tracks and narrowed her eyes, then turned around and watched Jax and Martin hurry towards her. “What?” she ground out. “Are you here to try and stop me?”

“What?” Martin blinked. “Heavens, no.”

“We’re here to go with you,” Jax shook his head.

Sara looked back and forth between the two of them. “You’re sure?” she asked for clarification.

“Are _you_ sure?” Jax countered.

 _“Captain, I have his location,”_ Gideon reported.

Sara met Jax’s eyes. “Where is he, Gideon?” she asked, and Jax nodded, holding his hand out to Martin, who clasped it.

When the _Waverider_ landed, it was the White Canary and Firestorm who took off into the woods.

* * *

Barry still wasn’t entirely sure how the fight with his time remnant had come to this: with his time remnant on the ground, himself in the Savitar suit, metal shard extended to pierce the remnant, Cisco and Caitlin (not Killer Frost anymore) watching with wide eyes.

But he did know Savitar was yelling at him. “Do it!” he shouted. “You kill me, you _become_ me. Either way, I live.”

Barry stared down at Savitar, at his own burnt face, and retracted the shard. Before he could change his mind, he vibrated as fast as he could, shattering the Savitar suit around him. As the shards fell to the ground, Savitar looked around in horror, Caitlin’s lips turning up in a relieved smile. “I’ll never let the pain, the darkness, determine who I am,” Barry told Savitar confidently. “I will _never_ be you.”

With a burst of speed, Barry punched his time remnant in the side of the head, and Savitar dropped like a sack of potatoes. Sighing in relief, Barry walked past the time remnant towards his friends, beaming happily at Cisco’s proud look and Caitlin’s relieved smile.

That smile froze when Barry heard a familiar crackle behind him, and he paused in his walking, about to turn around.

Then the force of an explosion of some kind threw him forward. He hit the ground with a thud, then plastered himself to the grass when he heard the next sounds.

_Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Barry swallowed hard when he heard a body hit the ground, and stayed down, even as Cisco and Caitlin hurried forward.

It was only when he heard Sara Lance shout his name that he looked up and over his shoulder. Savitar was lying on the ground, four bullet holes in his back. Firestorm was landing on the ground, pure white eyes gazing in a mixture of fascination (most likely Martin Stein’s) and horror (most likely Jefferson Jackson’s) on the metahuman’s face.

And Sara, sidearm in hand, ran to check on him, clad in her White Canary suit. “Sara,” he breathed, struggling to sit up.

“Hey,” she bent down, holding her hand out to him. “Are you OK?”

“Uh,” he swallowed, accepting her hand and letting her hoist him up. “I’ll get back to you on that.”

“Sara?” Firestorm called.

She and Barry turned to look at Savitar’s corpse, and they were just in time to see waves of blue and grey sweep over his body, making him dissolve into thin air. Barry sighed in relief, looking down at Sara. “How did you know?” he asked.

“Iris,” she answered. “She called and shared what happened, asking if there was anything I could do.”

“And you came?” Barry blinked.

Sara quirked an eyebrow, then brought her hand up; Barry yelped when her palm connected with the back of his head. “I told you I would come if you needed help with him,” she reminded him.

Barry chuckled, nodding and rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, you did.” He took a deep breath, looking at her. “Thank you,” he told her, then looked over as Firestorm approached. “All three of you,” he added.

“Like we would let our captain have all the fun,” Firestorm grinned.

“No strings on us,” Sara reminded Barry.

Barry smiled fondly, giving her a hug. “No strings,” he agreed.

* * *

Barry shut his apartment door behind him and leaned against it for a second, closing his eyes. A second later, he tensed, ready to run, when he heard a familiar voice from the kitchen. “You look like you could use a drink.”

Barry’s lips twitched up in a smirk. “Alcohol doesn’t affect me.”

He heard the clink of crystal on crystal. “Another for me, then.”

“I didn’t say no.”

Silence for a second. “I’m sorry about H.R.”

Barry opened his eyes and moved into the kitchen, to where Sara was dressed in the black dress and leggings she had worn to silently observe the funeral. “He gave Savitar the location to find Iris,” he said quietly, accepting the glass Sara slid to him. “He then used his transmogrifier and took Iris’s place.”

“He died a hero,” Sara remarked.

“He did,” Barry agreed. “And Savitar is gone.”

“And Iris is safe,” Sara took her own glass. “Not bad, Barry. Not bad.”

Barry tilted his head side to side. “It could have ended much worse,” he admitted, holding up his glass. “To H.R.”

“To H.R.,” Sara agreed, tapping her glass with his.

Their eyes met as they drank at the same time, and Barry licked his lips as he put his drink down. “By the way, how did you get in?” he asked.

Sara raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Take better care in locking your windows.”

“Of course,” he rolled his eyes. “Sneaky assassin moves. When did your suit get a collar, by the way?”

Sara leaned against the island, tilting her head. “Barry Allen, are you saying you like me with just the corset and no neck?”

“Oh God,” he closed his eyes, feeling his cheeks flame up. “That came out _so_ wrong.”

Sara snorted into her drink, quickly setting it down to cover her mouth as she laughed. “That was actually a modification that didn’t last long. My suit normally has the neck to it.”

“Oh,” Barry nodded, but didn’t say anything more.

Sara just grinned. “Missions go by much faster if a time criminal isn’t looking where he’s not supposed to.”

“OK, getting off that topic,” Barry quickly picked up his glass to take another drink and hopefully hide his burning face. “Actually, speaking of missions . . . how did yours go?”

Sara paused in taking another drink, then winced. “Um . . . about that . . . ” Barry raised an eyebrow, but before he could ask another question, a low rumble came from outside, making both look up. “What was that?” Sara looked up.

The fridge behind them started to rattle, followed by the microwave and oven. The light fixtures above their heads started flickering in and out, and Barry quickly maneuvered Sara around the island, both watching the rest of Barry’s furniture rattle. The windows shattered off to the side, and they scrambled backwards, watching the glass fall inwards. “Is this an _earthquake?”_ Sara’s eyes widened in shock. “I thought Central City doesn’t get earthquakes!”

Flickers of red and yellow light came from outside, and Barry cautiously stepped over the glass to peer out the now broken window. When he saw the multicolored lightning lancing across the sky, he gulped nervously. “That wasn’t an earthquake.”

* * *

“OK, please tell me this wasn’t something we did,” Nate ran to join Barry and Sara when they arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs.

“Us,” Sara shielded her eyes against the lightning flickering across the sky as the rest of the Legends appeared. “No, I don’t think so.”

Barry shook his head in agreement, turning his flashlight on and heading inside. He found Cisco already there, examining equipment. “You found something?” he asked hopefully.

His hope deflated when Cisco shook his head. “Everything’s barbecued,” he said, tossing what he held aside. “I’m gonna try to establish an uplink to the satellite.” He nodded to the Legends before pausing and pointing at Rip. “Uh . . . who?”

“Rip Hunter,” Sara gestured to him. “Former captain of the Legends.”

“Oh,” Cisco nodded absently, then winced when the screen he found emitted only static. “That’s not good. Hey, Wally!” he spoke into the radio he held. “Can you reverse the polarity on the neutron flow?”

“On it,” Wally’s voice responded.

“Is there anything we can do?” Ray asked, gesturing between himself and Martin.

“I don’t know,” Cisco ran a hand through his hair.

“Central City University just reported an earthquake of 6.6 on the Richter scale,” Julian reported, looking down at his phone.

“That’s not an earthquake,” Harry announced, walking to join them from the other entrance.

“Then what was it?” Joe frowned.

“Earthquakes come from down below,” Harry explained.

“So this is something else,” Martin frowned uneasily.

The rumbling grew louder, and Amaya hastily covered her eyes when sparks flew from up above. Jay walked in, face grim. “It’s getting bad out there,” he told them. “Emergency services will soon be overwhelmed.”

“Guys,” Julian gulped. “7.2, that last one.”

“Cisco!” Wally called.

“Yeah, we’re on,” Cisco responded. “Guys!”

They turned as Cisco managed to get a working screen, and Iris squinted. “What is that thing?”

“That’s definitely not a breach,” Gypsy frowned.

“Holy plutonium,” Cisco’s jaw dropped. “What even emits that many kilojoules?!”

Sara noticed Barry turn to look at someone else, and when she turned in the direction he was looking, he saw him and Jay lock eyes. “I’m guessing you two know?”

“The Speed Force,” Jay nodded.

“But Savitar’s dead,” Joe frowned.

“Yeah, Sara shot him,” Jax nodded. “Four times.”

“You did?” Ray looked at Sara in surprise.

“Not important,” Sara huffed.

 _“Very_ important, actually, Captain Lance,” Jay shook his head. “Because that’s the problem.”

“Bad speedster’s dead,” Mick grunted. “What’s the problem?”

“It’s the Speed Force prison,” Cisco swallowed.

“It needs an occupant,” Jay confirmed. “When you freed me, we emptied it. Without a prisoner – ”

“It goes unstable,” Cisco finished. “And now it’s bleeding energy onto our Earth.”

“So how do we stop it?” Nate looked around.

Barry swallowed. “By giving it what it needs.”

“Which is what?” Iris frowned.

* * *

“You’re not doing this,” Sara shook her head as she ran after Barry, heading outside.

“The Speed Force is unbalanced!” Barry argued, the rest of their teams pouring out after them. “I have to stabilize it!”

“You are _not_ going into the Speed Force!” Sara shook her head.

“What?” Jax protested.

“Barry, you’ll be trapped forever!” Iris joined in.

“If I don’t go, the whole city, maybe even the entire _planet,_ could be destroyed!” Barry shook his head.

Sara licked her lips, barely hearing the arguments going on around her as she put her hand on her forehead, pacing angrily. She did _not_ come this far to help Barry just to see him sacrifice himself to the Speed Force –

 _“That . . ._ thing _. . . chose to let you live. Why?”_

 _“That_ demon? _I can’t imagine why. It serves the Speed Force. Because my ancestor killed himself, I am supposed to be dead.”_

She froze, slowly lowering her hand. “Oh, my God,” she whispered.

“Boss?” Mick frowned.

_“He is necessary.”_

“He is necessary,” Sara repeated slowly.

“Come again?” Jay frowned in her direction.

“He is necessary,” Sara repeated, turning around. “That’s what it said, back in World War I. He is necessary!”

“Who’s necessary?” Cisco waved his hands around. “We’ve got three speedsters to choose from, and I’m not keen on letting any of them go back into that place!”

“No,” Rip’s eyes slowly widened as Nate’s mouth fell open in a perfect circle. “We have _four.”_

“Four?” Harry parroted.

“I think she’s lost it,” Julian looked around.

“He was spared for a reason,” Sara insisted, pointing at the lightning strikes drawing closer. “This _has_ to be the reason!”

“What are you talking about?” Iris asked, tears in her eyes.

Sara took a deep breath. “This past year, we’ve been facing a trio of supervillains who had the goal of rewriting reality to better themselves,” she explained. “Malcolm Merlyn, his past . . . Damien Darhk, his future . . . and – ”

Lightning cracked, drawing their attention back to the storm heading their way. A swirling mass opened in the eye of the storm, making all of them shield their eyes. Out of the mass walked a woman with auburn hair, dressed in white. “Barry,” Joe breathed. “It’s your mother!”

“That’s the Speed Force,” Barry corrected, even though he swallowed.

Sara gripped Barry’s arm, stopping him from moving forward. Instead, she stepped forward herself. “Captain Lance!” Jay warned.

Sara planted herself in front of Barry, looking at the Speed Force. “Am I right?” she asked, hoping no one could see her crossing her fingers. Because if this didn’t . . . “Can we give you him instead of Barry?”

“Sara?” Barry asked in confusion.

“Savitar killed our enforcer,” the Speed Force finally told Sara. “Zolomon was meant to carry out our will. Yet it appears he found another way.” Nora Allen’s eyes slid to Barry before nodding. “Return who we want to us. He may take Barry’s place.”

Sara could have sobbed in relief, and she heard Jax’s mutter of “Thank you, God” behind her. “Is anyone else lost?” Gypsy looked around.

“I am,” Wally freely admitted.

“Changing time and reality,” Sara turned around. “Killing Rex.” She tilted her head, looking at Amaya. “What do you think he would say about this?”

Amaya’s lips curled up in a pleased smirk. “He deserves this.”

“I agree,” Sara nodded, looking at Jay. “What’s the Speed Force prison like?”

“Wally and Jay said it was hell,” Iris supplied.

“Oh, this son of a bitch deserves it,” Nate’s eyes hardened.

Sara nodded. “Rip, Amaya,” she looked at the two of them. “Bring him here. Let’s send him to hell.”

“Send _who_ to hell?” Joe asked in exasperation as Rip and Amaya ran off.

“Wait,” Barry’s eyes widened, and Sara turned to look at him, seeing Barry had gone deathly pale. “You said Merlyn and Darhk . . . but you said . . . you said . . . ” He staggered suddenly, eyes wide. “Oh, my God.”

“Barry,” Sara quickly moved, putting her hands on his arms. “Barry, hey, look at me.”

He swallowed hard. “Zoom was their enforcer,” he said hoarsely. “It’s not Savitar . . . Sara, you have – ”

“Yes,” Sara nodded. “We’ve got him.”

“Oh,” Cisco’s eyes widened. _“Oh._ Oh, _frack.”_

“Yes, I believe I had a similar reaction when I realized exactly who our speedster nemesis was,” Martin nodded.

“Wait,” Harry made the connection as well. “You’re telling me you’ve got – ?”

 _“No!”_ The panicked scream made everyone turn around. _“NO!”_

“Apologies, everyone.” Sara raised an eyebrow, seeing everyone who had a weapon go for it as Rip and Amaya dragged a thrashing Thawne towards them, Amaya’s grip much tighter than Rip’s, though the former Time Master was holding quite tightly, and didn’t appear very apologetic as he spoke. “Our prisoner does not appear to be happy with us.”

“Oh, damn,” Joe stared in shock, aiming his gun at Thawne.

“Guess what,” Sara sauntered up to Thawne, who was staring at the Speed Force apparition of Nora with complete terror. “We found out why Zolomon wanted you alive.”

“No,” Thawne insisted, trying to jab Amaya in the ribs.

“You helped a lot, too,” Sara continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “You told us exactly what we needed to figure this out. You’ve done a lot, you know. You killed Barry’s mother. You’ve wreaked havoc on time and reality itself.”

“I had to beg him to kill my mom again.” Barry’s whisper was so quiet Sara almost didn’t hear him. But she did, and she turned to look at him, her eyes wide as Barry slowly approached, trembling in fury, his eyes on Thawne. “When Flashpoint happened, I had to _beg_ him to go back in time and kill my mom _again_ so it could be fixed.”

“But it couldn’t be fixed, could it?” Thawne couldn’t help but give one last jab. “Not completely, could it?”

Sara threw a sharp right hook, and Thawne cried out in pain, his head snapping to the side. Ray’s eyes widened, and Jax laughed at the stupefied looks on everyone else’s faces. “Apparently, the Speed Force prison is hell,” Sara sneered, rubbing her knuckles as Thawne gawked at her. “I say that’s exactly where you deserve to go.”

“We agree.” All eyes turned to the Speed Force, whose gaze was locked on the cuffed speedster. “At long last, the Reverse-Flash has reached his finish line.”

“Justice,” Amaya smiled. “Finally.”

Barry stepped forward, setting his jaw. “May I?”

“By all means,” Rip was more than happy to step away.

Barry and Amaya shared looks, then Amaya nodded. Barry grabbed Thawne’s other arm, and Amaya released her grip, stepping back. The two speedsters, one the reverse of the other, exchanged glares of hatred one last time, before Thawne chuckled bitterly. “How about that. You win after all.”

“It’s like someone told me,” Barry’s eyes slid to Sara. “There’s no strings on us.”

Sara smirked as Thawne turned to look at her. “Enjoy the Speed Force, Thawne.”

Barry escorted Thawne towards the portal, the others gathering behind Sara to watch. “Enjoy hell,” he corrected, coming to a stop in front of the Speed Force apparition.

Nora nodded, reaching out and taking Thawne’s arm in a vicelike grip. Barry stepped back, never once looking away as he kept walking backwards. Sara’s hand slipped into his, and Barry finally stopped, taking a deep breath as the woman stepped to his side, both watching as the Speed Force vanished with its new prisoner, and the lightning gradually receded. “Good riddance,” Mick finally spoke for all of them.

Sara exhaled in relief, then found herself pulled into a tight hug. She froze for a second before relaxing, wrapping her arms around Barry as the speedster tightened his grip. “Thank you,” he gasped in her ear, and Sara closed her eyes, realizing he was crying. “Thank you _so much.”_

Sara exhaled shakily, squeezing Barry back. “You’re welcome,” she whispered. “I’ve got your back.”

* * *

Barry paced outside the _Waverider_ the next evening, checking his phone for updates from everyone like he had for the last minute or so. For once in his life, he was early, and didn’t know what to do with himself. Apparently, he was bad with keeping himself occupied.

“Damn, Barry.” His head shot up at an approving whistle, and his jaw hit the floor as Sara walked down the ramp, her blue eyes looking him up and down. “You clean up nice.”

Barry shook his head, knowing that he was just dressed up in one of his nicer suits. Sara, on the other hand, was in a metallic cocktail dress the color of gunmetal, the dangerously plunging neckline ending with a twisted front. He swallowed hard, seeing Sara’s hair twisted into a messy bun, her black heels clicking on the asphalt as she walked up. “You’re gorgeous,” he finally managed to untie his tongue.

“Thank you,” she smiled, tucking her clutch under her arm. “So . . . you promised Central City’s best. Where are we going?”

Barry just held out his arm, and Sara tucked her hand into his elbow. “Follow me.”

* * *

“ . . . you met the author of _The Lord of the Rings.”_

“And _The Hobbit,”_ Sara confirmed, grinning as she took a bite of her cheesecake at the end of dinner.

“You have an awesome job,” Barry shook his head, finishing his fudge cake. “That’s it. I’m leaving Central City to Wally and joining your team.”

“Hey, if you do, we can have this happen more often,” Sara gestured around the pricey restaurant with her fork. “And without Rip around now – ”

“He left?” Barry asked in surprise.

“He took the jumpship and left,” Sara confirmed. “Said there was nothing left for him to teach us.”

“Huh,” Barry blinked.

“Anyway, we are now down one crew member,” Sara went on, fiddling with her cheesecake. “We have an opening.”

Barry cleared his throat, putting his fork down. “You’d want to do this again?” he asked, just to clarify.

“Well,” Sara tilted her head, popping her last bite into her mouth. “I would like the next ones to be called ‘dates’ instead of ‘I owe you for helping to imprison my nemesis’ dinner.” She put her fork down, then leaned forward, locking eyes with Barry. “But yes. I would.”

Barry’s grin could have lit the entirety of Central City. “While I’m not sure Central City can survive without me _yet,”_ he told her, picking up the checkbook and putting the necessary money and tip in it, placing it back down on the table. “I say I’m happy with calling this a date and not an ‘I owe you for helping to imprison my nemesis’ dinner.”

“Good,” Sara smiled, finishing her wine. “Because I was going to ask you anyway.”

Barry laughed as he stood, walking over and holding out his hand. “Well, Sara Lance, may I ask you when the next time we can have a date is?”

“Well, Barry Allen,” Sara played along, slipping her hand into his and allowing him to help her stand. “I say very soon.” She gave him a quick kiss and pulled back, smirking. “I’ll just have to check and see when I can get back in town.”

“Which for you could literally be the same day while for me, it could be a week,” Barry rolled his eyes as they walked to the front.

“Unfortunately for you, yes,” Sara smirked as they walked out into the Central City night. Barry’s phone suddenly buzzed, and she frowned, looking at him as he sighed and rolled his eyes. “Couldn’t that be work?”

“My villains usually schedule when I have days off,” he grumbled, pulling his phone out. “I go back on . . . ” He trailed off, frowning. “Jax is saying look at your phone five minutes ago.”

“Seriously?” Sara sighed, pulling her phone out of her clutch and moving off to the side. “They couldn’t last an hour without screwing something – ” She cut off, seeing the many images her teammates had sent her. “Oh, no.”

“What is it?” Barry was at her side immediately.

Sara swallowed, tilting her phone to the side. “They headed into the temporal zone . . . and this is where they ended up.”

Barry did a double take, squinting at the picture. “Is that . . . where _is_ that?”

“Los Angeles, 2017,” Sara answered.

Barry slowly looked at her. “Those are _dinosaurs.”_

“Yes.”

“In _Los Angeles.”_

“Yep.”

“2017.”

“Uh huh.”

“And is that – ”

“Yeah,” Sara sighed. “Big Ben.”

Barry just stood there, gawking at the photo Jax had sent her. “What _happened?”_

Sara closed her eyes. _Guess that’s what happens when you interact with yourselves._ “We broke time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this first little take on Scarlet Canary! This was a bit more pre-relationship, but hey, "One Call Away" started like that, too.
> 
>  _Next time from gammaxmen:_ Christmas double date with SuperArrow and Scarlet Canary. I think Oliver and Sara could be friendly dating with Barry and Kara, and I think under a mistletoe, Oliver would be kissing Kara and Barry, Sara.
> 
> I'm catching up to prompts I've already completed on Wattpad, so I've done this one already, and I will say though the mistletoe didn't make it in, the Christmas kisses did.


	5. Emerald Steel & Scarlet Canary ~ With Joyful Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompt from gammaxmen:_ Christmas double date with SuperArrow and Scarlet Canary. I think Oliver and Sara could be friendly dating with Barry and Kara, and I think under a mistletoe, Oliver could be kissing Kara and Barry, Sara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't get the mistletoe, but I felt pretty good about the rest of this.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow, Supergirl, The Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, or any of the DC shows and their characters. They belong to the CW and their writers.

“Oh, wow,” Kara took another gulp of goodness from her thermos, smacking her lips afterwards. “Oh, that’s good.” She frowned, taking another look inside. “Actually, this tastes just like the cocoa Ruby got me for Secret Santa . . . ”

“That’s the wonder of Gideon!” Kara turned around to see Sara poke her head out of the racks of evening dresses they were looking through, the blonde grinning at her. “She knows exactly what you like.”

“Huh,” Kara blinked, then turned back to the rack she was looking through. “Way to go, Gideon.”

“OK, so,” Sara walked out, holding up two different hangers. “Red or black?”

“Uh . . . ” Kara chewed her lip, tilting her head back and forth, trying to decide. “Wow.”

“You do know who you’re dating, right?” Both turned to look at the black-haired woman sitting in the chair nearby, a bag of caramel popcorn in her hand. “Trust me,” Zari pointed at the dress in Sara’s right hand. “Go with the red.”

Sara looked at the velvet dress, then nodded. “Red it is, then.” She put the black one back on the rack. “Your turn, Kara!”

“Why are we doing this here?” Kara rolled her eyes, but obediently put her thermos down and turned to look through the dresses on her side of the store. “We could’ve easily done this on the _Waverider!”_

“Yeah, but actually shopping is fun, too!” Sara called from her dressing room.

“She has a point,” Alex chimed in, then looked to the side when there was a ding from her girlfriend’s phone. “Business?”

“Actually, I told Ruby that an AI can apparently copy the cocoa she got Kara,” Sam answered, chuckling and checking her messages. “She doesn’t know how to take that.”

Kara sighed, picking one dress she liked and holding it out. “What do you think?”

“Not silver,” Sam immediately shook her head. “Not if you’re going for velvet.”

“Definitely not,” Alex agreed.

“Gold is more your color anyway,” Zari added.

Kara frowned thoughtfully. “Gold,” she mused, looking further down the line of dresses.

“I’m still trying to figure out how we got here,” Sara remarked.

“That’s easy,” Alex smirked. “Earth-X.”

Kara ducked her head, blushing, and Sara’s laughter came from the dressing room. “Right on point, Danvers!”

“Shut up,” Kara groaned.

“From what I’ve heard, she’s right,” Sam looked at Kara. “Both with her and Barry, and you and Oliver.”

Kara couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah. She’s right.”

After all, it had been Oliver who faced down his Nazi doppelgänger to rescue her from S.T.A.R. Labs and had risked his entire Earth to tell Black Arrow he wasn’t giving up Kara just for Kara’s heart to be removed and given to her own Nazi doppelgänger: Black Arrow’s wife, Overgirl. It had been Oliver who had come to her, concerned for her health after being under the red sun for so long and after she was caught in Overgirl’s nuclear meltdown. And it was Oliver who offered his home for her to stay in when she needed to breathe after Mon-El’s return from the future. From there, she watched him try and stay strong, for both his son and his city, when he faced betrayal from Rene, Curtis, and Dinah, and when Cayden James launched his attack on the city. And when he needed strength of his own, she stepped up to the challenge, offering what comfort she could give him and his son, William. By the time Kara realized she was in love with Oliver, she had fallen head over heels in love, and found Oliver felt the same way. She had never felt relief like she had when the judge overseeing Oliver’s trial cleared him of charges, even though it had been J’onn masquerading as the judge as a last Hail Mary play.

Then Ricardo Diaz had made the mistake of attacking Oliver’s apartment and abducting Black Siren, Earth-2’s Laurel Lance, after she chose to lie on the stand. It was the last mistake Diaz would ever make.

His actions not only brought J’onn back to Star City with Alex to assist in taking down Diaz, but also Slade Wilson when Kara tracked down the Aussie herself. It had taken both of them to convince Oliver not to turn to the very organization trying to lock him up for being the Green Arrow, but instead to turn to the allies he knew he had. _“And you wonder why I still call you kid,”_ had been Slade’s words when Oliver suggested going to Samandra Watson.

And they didn’t need the FBI at all. Quentin Lance had been saved by the skin of his teeth by Barry Allen, speeding him and Black Siren to safety as Cisco Ramon and Ralph Dibny arrived, followed by Sara Lance leading the Legends on a warpath. By the end of the evening, Diaz’s reign had ended, and the man himself died with an arrow to the heart.

Oliver did step down as mayor after Diaz was dead, leaving Quentin the position as mayor. Slade decided to stay in Star City to keep working on tracking leads on his two sons, though Kara suspected it was also to keep an eye on the man he saw as his brother. Black Siren took convincing, but ultimately, she rounded out Oliver’s team. The three of them worked flawlessly together the more and more they went out into the field.

That had been the _real_ surprise when Diaz attacked – when Sara raced up to Barry after finding out he saved her father and kissed him fiercely. It turned out that after they worked together during the Earth-X invasion, Barry and Sara had kept in constant contact – Zari had admitted she spied on Sara videocalling Barry in the _Waverider_ jumpship away from prying eyes – which had led to a few dates in Central City. Well, Oliver and Kara were dating and were from two different universes; why couldn’t a speedster and a time traveling captain/former assassin do the same thing?

“OK,” Sara’s voice came back, startling Kara back to the present. “You have good taste, Zari.”

“I aim to please,” Zari spread her hands smugly.

“Wait,” Sam jumped to her feet, walking over to one of the racks Kara was about to reach. “Hold on, Kara. What . . . about . . . ” She pulled off one of the dresses as Sara came out of her dressing room, dress over her arm. “This one?” Sam finished, holding it up.

Kara turned to look at it, and she blinked in surprise. “Ooo,” Alex sat up, tilting her head. “My girlfriend has good taste, too.”

Zari whistled appreciatively as Kara examined the dress. “Yes, she does.”

Sara took one look at the dress and burst out laughing. “Are we going Christmas themed or are we going based on our boyfriends’ colors?”

Kara blushed, snatching the dress. “Yes.”

Sara cackled as Kara left to try on the dress. “I like that answer!”

* * *

“Wow,” Zari remarked, leaning in the doorway of Sara’s office, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth as she looked at the two men that were taking charge of the _Waverider,_ both dressed to the nines in three-piece suits. “I’m jealous of Kara and Sara.”

Oliver looked up from where he was looking over the plans for traveling in the _Waverider,_ raising an eyebrow at the hero. “Thanks.”

“If that was actually a compliment,” Barry didn’t look up from checking the console. “Gideon? Anything we need to know?”

 _“Captain Lance and Miss Danvers are almost ready,”_ Gideon responded dutifully.

“Wonderful,” Barry rubbed his hands together, standing up. “Thank you, Gideon.”

“So do we get to know when we’re allowed back on?” Zari headed for the door to the cargo bay, still eating.

“Whenever we get back,” Oliver answered dryly. “I thought that was obvious.”

Zari snorted. “Watch it be over a year.”

“Gideon,” Sara’s voice called, and Barry looked up, only for his jaw to drop as his girlfriend entered, finishing with her earrings. “Make sure that’s not how long it’ll be when we get back.”

 _“Yes, Captain,”_ Gideon answered; she sounded amused, probably because Barry was doing an impression of a gaping fish.

Oliver smirked in amusement as well, walking over. “You OK, Barry?”

“Sabretooth got your tongue?” Sara joked.

Barry cleared his throat, blinking rapidly, then shook his head. “I’m fine,” he told them, looking Sara up and down. “You look . . . incredible.”

“Well, you said formal,” Sara held out her arms, showing off the off the shoulder dark red velvet dress she was wearing, an elegant silver jeweled clasp on her side, her hair tied back in a braided bun, pinned in place with jeweled combs. “So I went formal.” She playfully smacked Barry on the cheek. “Keep up.”

“Keeping up,” Barry rubbed his face, grimacing as Zari snickered.

“How did he react?” Kara’s voice came from down the hall, Zari sticking her head down to see what she looked like.

“The usual,” Sara snickered, turning around.

“Of course,” Kara walked onto the bridge, Oliver’s eyes widening as he took in her dark green velvet dress with one cape sleeve, the neckline embroidered with gold stitched flowers, her hair wrapped around her head in a double braid crown. “And me?” she asked timidly.

“Beautiful,” Oliver said instantly, walking around the console to meet her. “Absolutely beautiful.”

Kara blushed, fiddling with the sleeve of her dress. “Sam picked it out.”

“I helped pick Sara’s!” Zari called helpfully.

Sara spun on her heel and glared at her. “Get out of here!”

Zari held up her hands in surrender. “Yes, captain.”

Kara giggled, turning around to the others as Zari left. “So,” she smiled, fidgeting in excitement, “where are we going?”

“Or _when_ are we going?” Sara added as Barry headed to the captain’s chair. “And I’m guessing I’m not allowed to drive.”

“Nope,” Barry shook his head, plopping down. “So don’t let me screw up, please, Gideon.”

 _“I will attempt not to let that happen, Mr. Allen,”_ Gideon answered.

Oliver shook his head fondly, smiling as he helped Kara sit down. “It’s a surprise.”

“Of course,” Sara huffed, though she was smiling as she sat down on Barry’s other side. “So we can’t know.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s the definition of surprise,” Oliver smirked.

“Shut up, Ollie.”

“Gideon,” Barry smirked, listening to his girlfriend and her ex bicker behind him. “Let’s get going before your captain and the Green Arrow kill each other.”

_“I agree, Mr. Allen.”_

* * *

“So all we have is that it’ll be cold,” Sara remarked, frowning even as she slipped on a white fur-trimmed coat on over her dress.

“Just a little,” Barry grinned, putting his own on as he left the captain’s chair.

“And we _still_ don’t know where we are,” Kara complained.

Oliver just laughed, holding his arm out for her. “It’s for us to know and you to discover.”

“Fine,” Sara rolled her eyes. “Let’s discover where we are.”

Oliver and Kara were the first down the ramp, and Kara’s smile lit up her face as she pulled up the hem of her dress so she wouldn’t drag it through what was on the ground. “Hint one: there’s snow.”

Barry snorted loudly as Sara smiled. “It’s a double date _on Christmas._ We wouldn’t go somewhere without snow.”

“I’m glad we celebrated my birthday earlier,” Sara remarked as they walked down the path, snow lightly falling from the darkening sky. “It’s all Christmas now.”

“I love Christmas,” Kara sighed, tilting her head back to try and catch a snowflake on her tongue, making Oliver chuckle. “Yeah, the presents are fun, but I love spending time with my friends and family.”

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” Barry sang, playfully twirling Sara around.

The blonde laughed, then stopped mid-spin when she found what she was facing. “Wait . . . I know that bridge.”

“Do you?” Oliver raised an eyebrow, smirking.

Sara’s eyes widened in realization. “That’s the Charles Bridge!”

Kara’s mouth fell open. “We’re in Prague?!”

“Prague, Christmas Day, 2018,” Barry grinned. “Surprise!”

“Oh, my God,” Sara laughed, turning around and hugging Barry. “This is amazing!”

“Some of the best go-to Christmas markets in the world,” Oliver added, smiling at Kara’s awed look.

“And thanks to the _Waverider,_ we can get what we want,” Sara grinned.

“Seriously?” Kara did a double take.

“After dinner,” Oliver assured her.

“Just save room for dessert after,” Barry added.

Kara looked scandalized at the very thought of not doing such a thing. “Do you know me, Barry?”

“That’s Oliver’s job,” he grinned cheekily.

He was hit by a snowball in the back of the head, making Sara laugh hysterically. “Let’s get moving,” Oliver grinned as Kara brushed off her hands. “We’re not that far away.”

* * *

“Five-star Prague steakhouse,” Sara mused as she stirred whipped cream into her hot chocolate later. “The best garnet jewelry stand in the market. And now a five-star chocolate café.”

“Chocafe,” Barry corrected, digging his fork into the massive piece of chocolate fudge cake he had gotten.

Sara playfully scowled and picked up a piece of her fudge, throwing it at her boyfriend’s head. “Same thing.”

Barry caught the piece in his mouth, winking at her and eating it. Kara giggled as she dug into her chocolate mousse. “Best double date ever.”

“Agreed,” Oliver nodded. “Though I haven’t had many double dates.”

“Hey,” Sara held out her hands. “I’m up for it, too.”

“Maybe not on another holiday, though,” Barry tilted his head, looking outside. “It gets crowded.”

“We chose Prague’s Christmas markets _on Christmas,”_ Oliver rolled his eyes. “I think it would of course get crowded on the holiday _it’s meant to celebrate.”_

Kara snickered, she and Sara exchanging amused looks. “What’re we going to do with them?”

“Mmm,” Sara playfully considered. “Love them until they get sick of us.”

“Like we’ll get sick of our girls,” Barry countered, wrapping an arm around her.

“Never,” Oliver agreed, making Kara smile and lean her head on his shoulder. “You’re stuck with us.”

Kara closed her eyes for a second, then opened them again, lifting her head up. “The bells are ringing.”

The other three looked towards the window, and Sara chuckled, recognizing the song. “With joyful ring. It’s the carol of the bells.”

“Of course,” Oliver shook his head, smiling.

“Gaily they ring, indeed,” Barry reached for his own mug of hot chocolate, holding it up. “Merry Christmas, everyone.”

Kara smiled, picking up her mug and clinking it against his. “On, on they send, on without end, their joyful tone, to everyone,” she finished. “Merry Christmas.”

Oliver and Sara picked up their mugs as well, clinking them against the others. “Merry Christmas,” they agreed.

Kara beamed up at Oliver, kissing him as Barry and Sara did the same. “Merry Christmas, everyone,” Kara whispered, and Oliver kissed her temple, the four of them happy to stay inside and listen to the bells as snow continued to fall on Prague.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm no good at writing dates, so I apologize if this didn't turn out the way some people expected, but the title of the short, "With Joyful Ring," comes from Carol of the Bells, which I did manage to sneak in here.
> 
>  _Next time:_ An AU version of "Deathstroke Returns" and "Promises Kept" with one twist - Slade recruits Laurel to help find Joe instead of Oliver.
> 
> First DeathSiren attempt!


	6. Death Siren ~ Aggressive Negotiations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompt:_ An AU version of "Deathstroke Returns" and "Promises Kept" with one twist - Slade recruits Laurel to help find Joe instead of Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit ambitious, and this will be a two-shot since it's two episodes, but I hope everyone likes what I have so far!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow, Supergirl, or any of the DC shows and their characters. They belong to the CW and their writers.

It took two weeks for Laurel to decide one hundred percent that being a lawyer was Not Fun with a capital N and T. Then again, that was what she got for trying to become Laurel Lance in the first place.

She signed off on another report and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she reached for her coffee cup. Hearing Chase had kidnapped William had struck a nerve with her, especially after she saw how desperate Oliver was to get him back. It hadn’t taken her long to flee the fight and reach William first, choosing to leave after she had sent the replacement Canary through the wall opposite her. He had understandably not been very happy to see her, but when she had screamed at Chase and knocked that damn gun out of his hand to stop him from shooting himself, she had endeared himself to him pretty quickly.

Not that Felicity had liked that, because of course it was a crime for William to like the woman who saved his mother’s life more than his father’s (ex)-girlfriend. She liked the blonde alien who kept showing up from some other Earth much better . . . though she still wasn’t sure how she had shown up.

Anyway. Lawyer. When some idiot had released Oliver’s photo of being the Green Arrow to the public, a photo of her in Star City was also released, and not long after that, Oliver, Quentin, and Thea were being swarmed with questions about her survival. She had pulled the biggest act of her life, showing up at the SCPD and pretending to be Laurel Lance who just escaped from Damien Darhk’s captivity. Oliver and Thea _still_ hadn’t completely forgiven her for that.

And somehow, Star City thought that having their beloved Laurel Lance meant that she was automatically ready to leap back into the Assistant District Attorney position. Of course, since Laurel had to pretend she really _was_ Earth-1’s Laurel Lance, she couldn’t really say no.

She was really regretting that now.

A knock on her door made her groan and look up, mentally preparing herself for the next case she was about to get. She was surprised, however, when one of the office runners walked in with a coffee cup and what looked like an envelope. “What is it?” she asked, taking out as much negativity out of her voice as possible.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Lance, but these were delivered to the front desk for you,” the runner told her apologetically.

Laurel raised an eyebrow, taking the envelope first. “The coffee, too?”

“It has your name on it, so I believe so.”

Laurel hummed, curiosity piqued as she took the cup, too. “Thank you.” The runner nodded and left, and Laurel opened the envelope, finding a handwritten note inside. It was short and to the point, and in handwriting Laurel had only seen once before.

_Meet at your loft tonight after you’re finished with work._

Well, tonight was going to be interesting.

* * *

The door was unlocked when Laurel arrived, and she tensed, cautiously setting her bag down and reaching for a knife under her pant leg as she closed the door. She heard faint movement behind her, and she spun and launched the knife as hard as she could.

The intruder held up his hand and caught the blade by the hilt with ease, right in front of his remaining eye. “That would be why I left you a message,” he said dryly.

Laurel groaned, shutting the door and locking it. “I don’t take kindly to people walking into my home, Wilson.”

“I apologize,” Slade Wilson shrugged, sounding only the slightest bit apologetic as he flipped the knife over in his hand, holding it by the blade and offering the hilt to her as she walked over. “I’m only here for a day.”

“Does Oliver know you’re here?” Laurel asked, taking off her blazer and heading for the fridge for a drink.

“No.”

That surprised her enough to make her turn around. “Let me get this straight,” she folded her arms. “You’re in Star City for a day, and you come to the recently resurrected lawyer and not the man who got you your freedom?”

Slade sighed. “Before I left Star City the last time I was here, I told him that we can’t walk between two worlds for very long. He’s out of the vigilante life now, I don’t want to bring him back into it.”

Laurel considered, then leaned on the countertop. “So what have you gotten yourself into that involves exactly that?”

“When I left Star City, I was heading to Calgary,” Slade answered. “Oliver’s information on my son panned out.”

“You found him?” Laurel asked, a small smile on her face as she found two beers in the fridge. “I did,” Slade nodded.

“Good,” Laurel passed him one of the drinks. “His name’s Joe, right?”

“He changed it, actually,” Slade popped open the bottle. “He goes by Kane now.”

“What for?” Laurel asked.

“It was his mother’s idea,” Slade shrugged. “Her maiden name.” Laurel nodded, gesturing for him to continue. “I tracked him to Calgary, but by then, he’d gone, so I followed him to Ibiza, and then Mombassa.”

Laurel raised an eyebrow. “Mombassa?”

“The kid took after his father,” Slade smirked. “While I was stuck on Lian Yu, he went out and joined the Australian Intelligence Service. Then a week ago in Kasnia, a mission went south. He was dealing in arms, some locals caught him. Supposedly, he didn’t have a fair trial, and now he’s serving a life sentence like a rat in a cage.”

Laurel winced sympathetically. “And you need someone to sweet talk him out of there?”

Slade snorted. “Not quite how I would have put it, but yes.”

“Hmm.” Laurel took a swig of her beer, considering. “Why me?”

Slade closed his eye. “Oliver has a chance with his son,” he answered. “He’s out of this world. He doesn’t deserve to be dragged back into it, especially by me. The name Laurel Lance means something, whether you’re this universe’s Laurel or another’s. And I get a vibe from you that says you don’t mind having your feet in two worlds.”

Laurel planted both hands on the counter and raised an eyebrow. “And why would I want to help you?” she challenged.

Slade raised an eyebrow right back. “Because I get the feeling you want to prove me right.”

Laurel licked her lips, tapping her finger impatiently. “You said you’re here for a day?”

“I am,” Slade nodded. “Wheels up to Kasnia at 2200 tomorrow night. I’ll understand if you don’t want to join me, but if you do, I’ll meet you out front at 2100.” Laurel didn’t say anything, but merely nodded in response. Figuring it was the best he would get out of her, Slade nodded back. “Thanks for the drink.”

“Let yourself in any time,” Laurel drawled, but her lips quirked up in a smirk as she took another drink of her own.

* * *

Slade honestly wasn’t sure if Laurel would end up joining him or not. If it had been the Laurel Lance of Earth-1, he was positive she would have turned him down on the spot, Oliver’s word or not. _This_ Laurel Lance, however . . . she was a bit of a kindred soul. Someone with a villainous past with a chance to set herself straight again. The fact she had risked her life to turn her back on Adrian Chase and rescue Oliver’s son put him in his good books, too.

He was zipping up one of the duffels in the back of his car when he heard the click of wedge heels behind him, followed by the thud of a bag hitting the asphalt. “Proving you’re right?” Laurel said as he turned around. “Challenge accepted.”

Slade smirked. “What did you tell the District Attorney?”

“That clearly no one thought a woman who was held hostage for two years would need time to recuperate and get used to society before becoming a lawyer again,” Laurel deadpanned, smirking when he snorted. “So, this flight to Kasnia . . . how long is it?”

“It’s about twelve hours,” Slade answered, walking forward. “Thanks for coming, Laurel.”

She nodded curtly. “Let’s get moving.”

* * *

Laurel tapped her foot impatiently as she looked around the back lot of the warehouse Slade had driven them to. “Your _friend_ is late,” she huffed.

“I know,” Slade snorted, rolling his eye as he watched her pace. “Nylander’s a bit of a jackass and never on time.”

“You don’t say,” Laurel checked her watch.

“He’s not that bad!”

“Oh, well, speak of the devil,” Laurel rolled her eyes.

Slade smirked in agreement as he turned to greet the man walking up to them, who was laughing. “Slade Wilson, the Terminator.”

“I haven’t heard that name in a while,” Slade remarked as he hugged the man. “See you’re running later than usual.”

“Yeah, I was with a girl,” Nylander smirked, making Laurel roll her eyes. “Forget about it. Look at you! Mirakuru did you wonders, huh?” Laurel caught his wince, and she narrowed her eyes, seeing Nylander give him a look. “Oh, what? You’re not sensitive about that skit, are you?”

“He’s chatty,” Laurel quipped.

“I’m inclined to agree with her,” Slade nodded, making Laurel smirk smugly. “You promised me something, Nylander. Did you bring it, or did I waste my time traveling seven thousand miles for you to screw with me?”

Nylander huffed. “Truth be told, I’m glad you got your marbles back.” He pulled out a file and handed it to Slade, and as the man flipped through it, Nylander looked up and past him to Laurel. “So, honey, who are you to him?”

Laurel’s eyebrows shot up, and Slade looked up sharply from the file. “Call me ‘honey’ again, and I’ll cut your tongue out,” she glared.

“And that would be before you would have to worry about a sword in your gut,” Slade added, closing the file. “This should work. Thank you.”

“That’s it?” Nylander raised an eyebrow. “Just ‘thank you?’ No extravagant dinner, no pints?”

“Maybe next time when my son isn’t rotting in a third-world prison,” Slade countered.

Nylander harrumphed. “He’s lucky to have you as a father.”

Slade shook his head, walking back towards Laurel. “My son wouldn’t be in this mess if anybody else was his father.”

“Just be careful, Kamrat,” Nylander warned. “Your boy was snooping around some private-op mercenaries, um . . . not so nice guys.”

Laurel snorted as Slade stopped and gave his friend a look. “If I know Slade, he can be one of those ‘not so nice guys’ under certain circumstances.”

Slade chuckled, turning around to walk off with her. “Took the words right out of my mouth.”

* * *

Laurel took off the short black wig she had worn to the meeting as Slade closed the door behind them, running her hand through her hair to get the tangles and knots out. “OK, so we know where your son is,” she said, heading to her duffel to find an outfit to change into other than black jeans and a leather jacket. “I’m guessing this is where ADA Laurel Lance comes into play?”

“You guess correctly,” Slade confirmed. “I call this play Liberty Watch – a famous American lawyer comes to small, war-torn Kasnia to fight for the release of a man who has been wrongfully accused.”

“That almost sounds like a soap opera,” Laurel wrinkled her nose. “That should work like a charm.”

“Well, it’s a diplomatic solution,” Slade shrugged.

Laurel snorted. “If you know me, Slade, you know I’m more into aggressive negotiations.”

Slade gave her an incredulous look. “Star Wars? Really?”

“What?” she asked innocently. “I wasn’t exactly a lawyer back on Earth-2.” She sighed, walking over. “But I _do_ know the weight of Laurel’s name. I just don’t think they’ll free Joe just because I waltz in and give them a photo op.”

“Well, the photo op is just to gain entry,” Slade shook his head. “Of course they’ll need a reason to release him . . . ” He slid a case around on the table and popped it open. “And here are fifty thousand.”

Laurel whistled, impressed, as she looked down at the money in the case. “Fifty thousand indeed.” She nodded. “OK, so I give them the photo op to get in, give them the money, and assuming this works, where do we meet?”

“When you pick up Joe, go straight to the airport,” Slade answered, handing her a bundle. “Here is an alias passport for him and tickets for you both to London.”

Laurel was so surprised she didn’t react to Slade putting the paperwork in her hand, then she rapidly shook her head. “Whoa, whoa, wait a minute . . . you’re not even gonna _see_ him?”

“I need you to promise me that you won’t tell him I helped,” Slade told her.

“No!” Laurel protested, dropping the paperwork onto the case and walking around the table to him. “I’m not gonna lie to your son!”

“It’s better this way,” Slade argued.

“For him or for you?” Laurel countered. “Don’t tell me you don’t want to see him.”

“You think I don’t want to?” Slade snarled, eye flashing. “Laurel, I gave up the right to be his father when I stepped out of the light into the shadows and became this monster.”

“Then I lost the right to be my father’s daughter the moment I acted like a brat and got him killed!” Laurel snapped right back, making Slade blink. She sighed and closed her eyes, rubbing her face. “When I was thirteen, my dad was killed in a car crash, but the guy who caused the accident wasn’t the reason he died. He never should’ve been on the road that day. He was working a lot, which I hated . . . ” She exhaled slowly, sitting down in the chair behind her. “But I knew on my birthday that we would be able to celebrate, only he – ” She snorted bitterly, pinching the bridge of her nose as she felt tears in her eyes. “He showed up without my cake, and I threw a tantrum. So he went back out. That’s when the other guy drove him off the road. And do you know the last words that I said to my father? The last thing that I said to him was ‘I hate you.’ My dad _died_ because of me.”

Slade swallowed hard. “That is _not_ your fault, Laurel,” he told her, walking over and putting a hand on her shoulder. “The fault is on the driver, not you.”

Laurel scoffed. “But he was out there because of me.”

“That doesn’t mean you killed him,” Slade shook his head.

Laurel let out her breath slowly. “I could barely look at him at the funeral. I’d give anything to see him again.” She looked up at him, swallowing hard. “Don’t miss a chance to see your son, even if it’s just standing outside the prison and not talking to him. Just somewhere you can see him.”

Slade took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Outside the prison,” he nodded.

Laurel nodded, giving his hand a quick squeeze before standing up. “Right,” she cleared her throat, wiping at her eyes and heading to her back. “Black Siren is going in the back.” She found the outfit she wanted and smirked. “Time for Laurel Lance to put on a show.”

* * *

Her heels clicked on the floor of the prison as she approached the warden’s desk, the man looking up as she was escorted in. “Ms. Lance,” he greeted.

“Thank you for taking the time,” she nodded politely.

“It is not every day I meet celebrity,” the warden smiled.

Laurel tilted her head. “I’m not famous.”

“I saw you on news multiple times,” the warden shook his head. “Brought back from dead, yes?”

Laurel gritted her teeth in a smile. “Yeah . . . sure was.”

“They also say you are vigilante . . . Black Canary, yes?”

“OK,” Laurel cleared her throat. “Let’s get away from what you see on TV.”

“Yes, I understand you’re with organization in hopes,” he began.

“To request the release of one of your prisoners,” Laurel cut across him. “Kane Wolfman.”

The warden froze, then sighed. “I wish you’d come earlier.”

Laurel blinked once, then twice, then narrowed her eyes to slits. “And what does _that_ mean?” she demanded.

The warden swallowed. “There was fight in prison yard few days ago. Kane tried to break up, someone pushed, head was hit.”

Laurel stared at him in disbelief. “He’s dead?” she asked.

The warden nodded in response. “My apologies, Ms. Lance.”

Laurel sank her teeth into her lip to try and avoid saying something she would regret. “Thank you,” she finally ground out, turning around and heading towards the door. This was _not_ something she was looking forward to telling Slade.

She stopped when she was almost to the door, pursing her lips. No, she didn’t want to tell Slade . . . but she also didn’t want to leave without giving him anything except bad news. There was something she could still try to do.

She spun on her heel and walked back to the warden, who looked up in surprise. “Kane Wolfman’s father is outside this prison,” she told him. “Will he be able to see his son’s body?”

The warden blinked, then slowly shook his head. “I am afraid that won’t be possible.”

Laurel frowned. “Why?” she asked. “You said he passed a few days ago.”

“Yes, but – ”

“Warden,” Laurel leaned in closer, eyes narrowed to slits. _“Where is his body?”_

The warden gulped. “It is no longer in my possession.”

“No longer in your – ” Laurel cut herself off, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “Warden, you seem to forget I am a lawyer and know when someone is lying,” she told him with false sweetness. “So there are two things I can do. I can contact Liberty Watch, or I can cause an international incident. Or I can even do both. What will it be?”

The warden shook his head. “The situation is complicated – ”

“The uncomplicate it!” Laurel snapped, eyes flaring. “If you think I’m getting angry, you do _not_ want to face Kane’s father.”

The warden swallowed hard.

* * *

Slade looked up when he heard the doors open and heels clack on tarmac, and he pushed himself off the wall when Laurel stormed out. “Do you want good news or bad news first?” she asked when she reached him.

“What’s the difference?” Slade asked, gaze looking behind her. “Where’s my son?”

“Well, that’s the good news,” Laurel stopped in front of him. “He’s no longer in the prison.”

“What?” Slade blinked. “Why not?”

“That’s the bad news,” Laurel sighed. “The warden tried to tell me Joe died during a prison riot, and when I asked to see his body, he started fidgeting. So I let Black Siren out to play a bit, and then he told me what actually happened.”

“What did?” Slade narrowed his eye.

“He told me the men Joe investigated are called the Jackals,” Laurel answered. “And when they found out he was arrested – apparently he was in the wrong place at the wrong time – they broke into the prison and took him.”

“Why?” Slade gritted his teeth.

Laurel shook her head sadly. “The warden said the secrets he had are worth millions. They took him to torture him. The warden also said they threatened reprisal on his family if he spoke about it.” Slade snarled angrily, and she nodded. “Yeah, I told him he should have been happy he dealt with me and not you.”

“He should be,” Slade growled, turning and storming off, hearing Laurel quickly catch up behind him. “When the Jackals took my son, they didn’t count on who his father was.”

Laurel smirked as she joined him by his side. “Guess we’ve moved on to aggressive negotiations.”

* * *

“So you’re a technology expert as well?” Slade raised an eyebrow, adjusting his gauntlets as he watched Laurel work on a laptop.

“My worth isn’t just in screaming until someone drops dead,” Laurel snorted, sitting up straight and linking her fingers together, setting her chin on them. “So the Jackals are basically ghosts in the databases of every major intelligence agency in the world.”

Slade snorted. “Well, that’s no help.”

“Hey,” Laurel gave him a look. “Can I finish?” Slade gestured, and she turned the laptop around. “I found _this_ after looking through camera footage. Took a while to reconstruct, but I got the escape route, license plates, and then – ”

“Their final location,” Slade finished.

“Exactly,” Laurel smirked.

Slade nodded. “Thank you, Laurel.”

“You’re welcome,” Laurel nodded, then frowned as he picked up one of his guns. “You make it sound like you’re going alone.”

“Alone is what I do best,” Slade told her. “And this is my fight, not yours.”

“Hey!” Laurel stood up, glaring at him as she walked around the table. “This became my fight when I agreed to come here and help you.”

“And you’ve done your part,” Slade said. “It’s my turn now.”

Laurel gritted her teeth. “I can help you more.”

“You’ve risked enough,” Slade shook his head. “I can handle the rest.”

Laurel glowered at him. “Let’s hope so.”

“Ye of so little faith, Siren,” Slade picked up his mask, heading for the door.

“Better hope I maintain it,” Laurel glared at his back as he left. When the door shut behind the Australian, she threw up her hands in exasperation and paced around the room, muttering incoherently. If Slade Wilson was this stubborn back on Lian Yu when he was stuck with Oliver, she had to wonder how he managed to survive with the mercenary.

A chirp came from her phone, and growling lowly, she pulled it out of her pocket, checking the many messages she now had from everyone back in Star City. They were mostly messages demanding where she was (Oliver and Thea), warning her about not turning back to her “old ways” (Dinah and Felicity), and asking how long she planned to disappear for (Dig and Rene).

It was the message from Quentin that made her stop and stare. _Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, be careful._

Laurel lost track of how many seconds went by as she stared incredulously at Quentin’s words. She barely remembered her father from Earth-2, but Quentin looked at her and saw someone who had the potential to be like his Laurel from Earth-1. He was her biggest supporter after she turned on Chase and delivered William to Oliver, and even though he had not been happy about her appearing as Laurel Lance, he still stood by her and offered her Laurel’s law books to study from to keep up appearances.

She had disappeared without warning, without telling anyone anything . . . and he was telling her to just be careful. Just like she was his daughter.

She clenched her jaw and moved towards her duffel, unzipping it and pushing clothes aside to get to the bottom of the bag. That message was all it took for her to make a decision.

* * *

Jackals moved through their base, staring down at the puddles of blood around their downed members, all dead by gunshot or sword stab.

Their shock was short-lived as one of the two got a throwing knife in his jugular vein. The other turned around and saw icy green eyes before steel went through his heart.

Laurel let the corpse collapse at her feet, and she wiped her knife on his jacket, twirling it around. “Looks like you’re the lucky ones,” she mused, looking around at the trail of bodies Slade had left. She toed one, wrinkling her nose. “Can’t say I’m sorry,” she snorted, walking onwards. “You messed with the wrong kid.”

* * *

Slade really hated Nylander sometimes. The fact he was allied with the same organization that kidnapped his son wasn’t helping his case at all.

“I’m curious, Slade,” Nylander told Slade, the armored man looking around at the Jackals surrounding them. “What was your plan? Kill us all and save your boy? Kind of reductive, no?”

“I like to keep things simple,” Slade shrugged.

“Ah,” Nylander clicked his tongue. “Things rarely are, brother.”

“Well, this is,” Slade stood from where he had been listening, happy he had told Laurel to stay behind. “I will join the Jackals as long as you let my boy go.”

* * *

A black-gloved hand covered a Jackal’s mouth and pinched his nose, and the Jackal thrashed as an arm went around his chest. Laurel gritted her teeth as she held on stubbornly, and when the Jackal went limp, she smirked victoriously, lowering him to the ground. “Night night,” she patted him on the shoulder, nimbly stepping over him and moving towards where she could hear voices coming.

She heard Slade’s and ducked to hide behind the corner. “ . . . long as you let my boy go.”

She knitted her eyebrows, trying to determine what deal he had made, but Nylander chuckled. “It’s like I said. Things aren’t so simple. We need your son . . . after all, he’s our boss.”

Laurel’s eyes widened in shock, and she heard footsteps enter the room behind her, followed by an Australian voice. “Hello, father,” the man who had to be Joe Wilson said, making her close her eyes, lean her head back against the wall, and silently curse. “It’s been a long time.”

This had just gotten _way_ more complicated than it should have been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, a bit ambitious, but I was pretty satisfied with what I put out. What does everyone else think?
> 
> "Promises Kept" has yet to be finished, but it will be uploaded when it is!


	7. Death Siren ~ When No One Expects You To Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The continuation from the previous prompt: An AU version of "Deathstroke Returns" and "Promises Kept" with one twist - Slade recruits Laurel to help find Joe instead of Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I didn't expect it to take so long to get this out, but better late than never, right? I enjoyed writing this part, too - it was certainly interesting writing Laurel into this episode instead of Oliver.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow, Supergirl, or any of the DC shows and their characters. They belong to the CW and their writers.

“You should have stayed dead.”

Laurel winced at the cold tone Joe used. “So much for the family reunion,” she murmured, sliding along the wall to try and hear better.

“I heard you were in trouble, kid,” Slade responded after a moment. “And so I thought I’d offer my help.”

“My old man here to save me,” Joe scoffed. “Last I saw, you weren’t all that concerned with saving anyone.” She heard a gun cock, and she tensed, gripping the wall behind her. “Apple doesn’t fall that far. What do you think? Patricide?”

“He’s seen our operation,” Nylander offered his thoughts, and Laurel tensed, sliding one of her knives into her hand. “It makes him a liability.”

“Yeah, you can have that choice, but I’ll give you another one,” Slade interrupted. “Let me join you.”

“If I wanted a family reunion, I would’ve sent an invitation!” Joe snapped.

“Maybe you did, but you just haven’t realized it yet, kid,” Slade said. “See, I came all this way to talk with you, and I will kill anybody who gets in my way because I got nothing left to lose, only you. So go ahead and make a decision.”

There were a few seconds of silence, and Laurel was ready to jump out from behind cover to back him up when she heard the click of a safety being engaged. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t swayed by the poetry of it all,” Joe said dryly. “But can I trust you?”

“Trust is built upon honesty,” Slade answered. “I am sure you have a lot of questions to ask me, and I’ve got a lot of questions for you, Joe.”

“That’s not my name anymore.”

“Your mother named you something different to keep us apart.”

“OK,” Joe finally said. “Guess we got some catching up to do.”

One pair of booted feet left, followed by a second, heavier set, and Laurel closed her eyes in relief, letting out her breath slowly.

Slade was safe.

* * *

“Excuse the poor accommodations,” Joe gestured around. “I don’t plan on staying in this stain of a country too long.”

“Well, there’s a reason why they say the money is in the muck,” Slade remarked, looking around where Joe had led him.

“I did bring one luxury, however,” Joe told him, placing a bottle on the table Slade sat at.

Slade raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Oh, there’s a blast from the past,” he said, picking up the bottle and examining it. “My favorite. I never realized you’d acquired a taste for it, too.”

“Like you told me,” Joe walked over with two glass tumblers. “Always drink good booze and only look out for yourself.”

Slade snorted softly as Joe put them on the table. “Well, the Jackals are an unruly bunch,” he said. “Must have been hard trying to keep ASIS in the dark for so long.”

“It’s amazing what an agency overlooks when it’s willing to leave its own men for dead,” Joe shook his head, watching Slade pour drinks.

Slade chuckled bitterly, sliding him one of the drinks. “So what kind of operation are you planning on running here?” he asked, examining the sword Joe had put on the table. “Drugs? Weapons? Perhaps a military coup?”

“Let’s call it a reassignment of resources,” Joe shrugged, picking up his drink and taking a sip. “A lucrative one.”

Slade eyed him curiously as he took a drink of his own. That stirred his interest.

* * *

“So, you and your boy,” Nylander grinned as he and Slade walked down the hall. “One big happy family again, huh?”

“That’s none of your business,” Slade gave him a dirty look. “But he told me about your new job, the reassignment of resources. Tell me about that.”

“Well, if the boss didn’t think to tell you, then that means it’s none of your business, Kamrat,” Nylander smirked. “Meeting hall, thirty minutes.”

Slade pursed his lips, watching him leave –

“Slade!”

He froze in shock, spinning around when he heard his name. “Laurel?” he breathed in shock as she emerged from around the corner, clad in her Black Siren suit. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought that was obvious,” Laurel raised an eyebrow, gesturing down at her suit. “I’m helping!”

Slade gritted his teeth. “You should have gone home!”

“And what are you gonna do about that now, drug me?” Laurel tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. “I’ve come this far with you. I’m not abandoning you, not when you’ve found Joe. Especially not when you’ve gotten yourself into whatever he’s doing with this reassignment of resources.”

Slade huffed. “You overheard that.”

“Yeah, and I overheard you plan on joining his unit,” Laurel folded her arms. “I think I’m stating the obvious when I say he’s dangerous, Slade.”

“He’s just a younger version of me,” Slade brushed it off.

“Were you ever a gun for hire?” Laurel raised an eyebrow.

“No, but I was a killer,” Slade shook his head, looking around and pulling Laurel closer to the side. “Laurel, go home before you find yourself in trouble you can’t get out of.”

“I’m not walking away from this,” Laurel shook her head determinedly. “You’re stuck with me, Slade.”

Slade glared at her, then sighed in annoyance. “For better or for worse,” he grumbled, making her smirk victoriously.

* * *

“Feeling at home yet, Slade, hmm?” Nylander asked as Slade checked over his weapons. “Or should I call you Deathstroke?”

Slade glared at his friend, then heard Joe’s voice as he approached. “Slight change in plans, gentlemen! Forty percent of our Semtex was compromised during transfer. Conveniently, however, the Kasnian army is doing some transferring of its own. I’m gonna take a small team to intercept.”

“Does this jeopardize our timeline?” Nylander asked.

“Not with the infamous Deathstroke backing me up,” Joe smirked, eyeing Slade. “What do you say, father? Interested in showing us how it’s done?”

Slade smirked right back. “As long as your dogs can keep up.” Joe nodded, and Slade gave Nylander a smirk as well when the man gave him a dirty look. “I’ll go pack some gear.” Slade walked a few feet away from the other Jackals, taking a look behind him to see if he was being overheard. When he was sure he wasn’t, he clicked a button on his bandolier. “Siren.”

* * *

From deeper inside the compound, Laurel straightened from where she was leaning against the wall. “Comms are working,” she said quietly.

“Kane has me making a run for Semtex,” Slade told her.

Laurel knitted her eyebrows. That sounded familiar . . . “The high-yield explosive?”

“Yeah,” Slade confirmed. “With Nylander involved, I should’ve expected it.”

“You think he’ll be handling the detonator?” Laurel asked.

“I’ll bet,” Slade confirmed. “If you can find the receiver, perhaps you can corrupt it. It might be in Nylander’s gear.”

“I’m on it,” Laurel promised. “What about you? You OK?”

Slade’s sigh was very audible. “Just find the receiver.”

Laurel pursed her lips, but nodded curtly and pushed off the wall, moving back towards where she knew the Jackals were meeting.

* * *

It took about ten minutes before she heard the rumble of vehicles, and about thirty seconds for the noise to disappear. That meant the Jackals were gone on their mission for Semtex.

Laurel moved through the base as quickly as she could, minding her heels on the floor. Slade had told her a rough location of where Nylander’s gear could be and the quickest route she could get there.

She reached the door to go further into the compound and was pulling down the handle to open it when she heard footsteps behind her.

Laurel gritted her teeth and rushed off out of sight, peering around the shelves she ducked behind. One of the Jackals was doing rounds, automatic rifle held tightly in his hands. She carefully moved around the shelves, spotting another Jackal just a few feet away. Laurel looked between the two Jackals, trying to figure out the best way around them when she caught sight of a pile of crates just past the shelves, and her gaze lifted to look at the pipes running along the ceiling.

Grinning, she climbed up the crates and up to the pipes, shimmying her way across them until she was above where the Jackals were meeting. While they were talking with each other, Laurel tossed a knife just past where they were, and when the Jackals spun around and raised their rifles to see what made the noise, she dropped down, wrapping her arms around one’s neck and kicking the other in the head, knocking him out cold. Laurel punched the other Jackal out, waiting for a few seconds to make sure they wouldn’t wake up. When they didn’t, she stood up and picked up her knife, moving to the door again and walking through it.

Nylander’s gear was right where Slade guessed it would be, and she smiled victoriously. “Thank you, Slade,” she whispered to herself as she jogged over.

She found the detonator easily enough and was about to open it up and disable it when a few papers buried under Nylander’s jacket caught her eye. Laurel wouldn’t have spared them another glance if she hadn’t recognized what the drawings were of from her time with Zoom. She abandoned the detonator in favor of examining the blueprints closer. Thanks to her time drawing battle plans with Zoom, she recognized what the drawings meant at once.

And it was not good. Not good at all. “Oh, God,” she whispered in horror.

An ominous click sounded right behind her head, and Laurel froze, standing completely still. “And to think Slade told me to worry,” Nylander’s voice said coldly.

_Shit._

* * *

“So what are you planning with all these explosives?” Slade asked as Joe opened the case of Semtex and looked at what was inside. “I’d like to know.”

“You missed your kill shot with the soldier back there,” Joe said instead.

“Well, when I lost this eye, I lost my depth perception,” Slade smirked.

Joe considered him. “Most of my men think you joined me under false pretenses.”

Slade scowled. “There’s nothing false about trying to find my son.” That was true, at least. “But if _they_ doubt me, then maybe I don’t have _your_ trust.”

“Of course you do,” Joe smiled; Slade wasn’t sure he liked that smile. “Which is why I got you a little gift.”

Slade frowned, hearing footsteps approach, then stiffened when he recognized the heels on concrete. He turned to see Nylander lead Laurel into the room, Laurel glaring at Joe. “And you told me not to worry, brother,” Nylander tsked, kicking Laurel’s legs out from under her.

Her knees hit the ground, but Laurel didn’t make a sound; her glare only intensified as Joe chuckled. “Nylander found her with my detonator. Some might see this as coincidence, but I see it as fate. Oliver Queen took everything from you, yet you have the woman he loves most in front of you, helpless.”

Slade knew Laurel was anything _but_ helpless – especially _this_ Laurel – but he stepped forward anyway, giving her a long look. Laurel looked right back at him, silently asking what he was going to do. “Laurel Lance,” he said slowly. “Oliver Queen took someone from me. It’s only fair I take someone equally important from him.”

With a mental apology, he threw a sharp right hook, and Nylander let Laurel crumble to the ground, knocked out cold. “An eye for an eye,” Joe smiled in satisfaction as Slade looked down at the blonde metahuman who was in this position because he asked her to be.

_Laurel, why did you come after me?_

* * *

Laurel couldn’t remember the last time her head throbbed as hard as it was now. She made a small noise of discomfort and attempted to raise her head, only to pause when she felt cool metal – _sharp_ metal – against her cheek. She froze and carefully opened her eyes, finding the point of a sword aimed at one of her eyes.

She slowly lifted her gaze to find that Slade was the one holding the sword, looking down at her with an unreadable expression on his face. “Years ago, I made Oliver Queen a promise,” he said softly. “Do you remember?” Laurel looked unflinchingly up at him, because no, she really couldn’t remember since it was her doppelgänger he said it to, but she had a feeling he was going to say it anyway. “I promised that he would suffer the same way that I suffered.”

“Slade,” she said slowly. “What are you doing? I thought you weren’t this person anymore.”

“What I am is a father reunited with my son. I made him a promise, too, and I’m not going to break it again.”

“Didn’t you make Oliver a promise, too?” Laurel asked. “You helped save his son, and he would help you save yours.”

“Oliver Queen has a son?” Laurel turned her head at the voice, and Joe seemed coldly amused as he walked into view towards Slade. “I’ll make sure he suffers, too.”

Something flickered in Slade’s eye, then he moved behind Laurel. “Slade,” she began to say.

“Do it,” Joe ordered, an eager look on his face as Slade stopped behind her.

Laurel’s jaw clenched, and she closed her eyes. She didn’t know Slade nearly well enough to know if he was putting on one hell of an act or not, so what use was getting her hopes up? “A lot of dead people on Earth-2 would thank you,” she mumbled under her breath.

There was a pause – a _long_ pause – then Slade spoke. “One last song, Siren?”

“Siren?” Joe blinked, caught off guard.

Laurel got the point, though, and a wide grin took over her face. “If you insist.”

Before Joe could say another word, Slade’s sword descended and sliced through the ropes tying her hands, and Laurel shot to her feet, screaming at Joe. Her scream propelled Joe back into the opposite wall, but before Laurel could go check on him, Slade’s hand grabbed her wrist in a vicelike grip. “Come on,” he ordered, grabbing his mask and heading for the door.

Laurel stumbled for one step, then jogged after him, tugging her wrist free. Slade kicked the door open, and the first Jackals they saw were greeted by another sonic scream from Laurel. More Jackals were bowled over when their comrades were thrown into them, then Slade started shooting and taking out the Jackals that were coming in behind Laurel. She grabbed an abandoned rifle and started firing her own shots, backing up with Slade to take cover behind some crates. He grabbed her and pulled her down, the two of them wincing as bullets peppered their hiding space. “I don’t suppose you had an escape route?” Laurel asked sarcastically.

“What, you didn’t plan one when you came after me?” Slade huffed.

Laurel rolled her eyes, then nodded at the opposite wall that led to the outside of the building. “Fine. Let’s make one on the spot.”

Slade caught her drift instantly. “Go.”

Laurel took off running, Slade right behind her. She screamed once, enough to smash through the window she bolted for. As the glass shattered, she didn’t stop and leapt out, covering her head to try and avoid getting hit by glass that was still flying around her. A second later, Slade grabbed her and adjusted their positions so when they landed on the ground, he took the brunt of the hit, his armor absorbing the impact even though Laurel’s breath left her at the thud.

She didn’t have long to try and recover, as Slade was quick to pull her to her feet. “Run,” he ordered. “Siren, come on!”

Laurel scrambled to her feet, running after him and risking a look over her shoulder. She saw Nylander make it to the window first, then she turned and sprinted after Slade, leaving the Jackals’ base behind.

* * *

Laurel wasn’t sure how long they ran for, but before long, Slade held out his arm, gesturing for her to stop. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Laurel took a few gulps of air, grabbing the back of the nearest bench and bending over to catch her breath. “Yeah, I’m fine, considering what I saw when I found Nylander’s detonator.”

“What was it?” Slade asked in concern.

“I saw what Kane was going after,” Laurel looked up at him. “They’re attacking the water supply. It’s a death sentence for half the country.”

Slade nodded. “It’s a death sentence for half the country.”

“If we move now, we’ll be able to stop them,” Laurel took a deep breath, then raised an eyebrow at him. “If that’s what you want.”

Slade scowled. “I spared your life back there.”

“I know,” Laurel nodded. “But that didn’t feel much like an act.”

Slade sighed. “Because when I saw my son, I was tempted,” he admitted. “I would’ve done anything to keep us together. But when you mentioned William, I realized that’s not my boy. It’s Kane. But what I fear is there is only one way to stop him.”

Laurel slowly straightened, looking at Slade. “That’s why you gave me the cue to scream,” she realized, and when Slade nodded miserably, she sighed. “Slade, there have got to be other ways to deal with this that don’t involve killing him. He’s still your son. Look at the two of us, where we’ve come from – there’s got to be a way to reason with him and get him to listen to you.”

“Laurel,” Slade swallowed, “after Lian Yu, I went home to my son and I promised him I would stay and never leave, and I broke that promise.”

“But wasn’t that because of . . . ” Laure scrunched up her nose, trying to think. “That serum you had?”

“Mirakuru,” Slade nodded. “It faded for a while, but when it came back, it was like a storm I could not control, and that monster is what my son is trying to emulate, but it’s not mirakuru with Joe. It’s anger and resentment, and I don’t know how that can be redeemed.”

“It’s like I said, Slade,” she walked up to him. “Look at the two of us. I was a lieutenant for Zoom _and_ Chase, and now I’m an ADA. I don’t know what you were like when you had the mirakuru, but I’m pretty sure it’s far from who you are now, and now we’re both here, trying to save your son. We’ve come back from our demons, we can get your son back from his. He just needs to see the man you are right now.”

Slade looked at her in slight disbelief. “Do you truly believe that?”

“If I don’t, what hope do I have for some sort of redemption?” Laurel shrugged. “So are we doing this or not?”

Slade clenched his jaw, then held out his hand. Laurel nodded and shook it, determination in both their eyes.

* * *

“Where are we?” Joe asked as he walked up to Nylander.

“All charges are set,” he answered, holding up the detonator. “Feels like it should be you.”

“I hired _you_ to pull the trigger,” Joe reminded him before looking around. “Move out!” he ordered. “Get to a safe distance. Semtex makes for a pretty big bang.”

“You’re not coming with?” Nylander blinked.

Joe smirked. “I want a good view.”

“You’re crazy,” Nylander laughed. “I love it!” He backed up to leave with the rest of the Jackals. “Don’t forget what you said about the Semtex, yeah?”

Joe nodded, watching Nylander leave. When the rest of his men were cleared out, he stiffened, turning to look behind him. “I knew you’d show up,” he said coldly, looking at his father. “I think it’s time we had ourselves an honest talk.”

* * *

The Jackals were evacuating the building when a shrill scream came from behind them, and an unseen force bowled them over. Nylander winced, grabbing his gun and looking up.

Black heeled boots strode across the asphalt as Laurel approached, her eyes narrowed. “Rematch,” she growled, flicking a knife into her hand.

A few Jackals got to their feet first, but Laure grabbed the gun of one of them and smacked it into his head repeatedly, knocking him unconscious. She jumped another and wrapped her legs around his neck, doing a backflip and ramming him into the ground. She grabbed that Jackal’s gun, firing at a few she couldn’t rush individually, watching them fall to the ground, bullets in their chests.

* * *

“Trust begins with honesty,” Joe growled, circling Slade. “That’s what you said to me, but you lied!”

“You know life is not that simple, Joe,” Slade shook his head.

“That’s not my name!” he snapped. “And saving Laurel Lance? Why would you do that after what Oliver Queen did to you?”

“Because _he_ forgave _me_ for _far_ worse!” Slade snapped. “Sins that I have to carry to the grave, a curse I didn’t want to pass on to you! All of this anger and resentment, it’s time to bring it to an end, son!”

“No,” Joe snarled, reaching over his shoulder and drawing his sword. “This is just the beginning!”

* * *

Laurel sliced the throat of the last Jackal, then turned and looked at Nylander, who was aiming a gun at her. “Really?” she smirked.

“How fast can you scream before I pull this trigger?” Nylander questioned.

Laurel flicked her wrist, and Nylander grunted as her knife buried into his arm, making him drop his gun. “I’m more than a pretty voice,” she answered, walking forward.

Nylander sneered and rushed her, and Laurel twisted to the side, dodging him. She did a roundhouse kick, catching him in the chest, then somersaulted on the ground to pick up a dropped combat knife. Nylander pulled hers from his arm, gritting his teeth in pain, and swiped at her. Laurel blocked his swing with the knife she just picked up, then jumped and kicked with both feet. She caught Nylander in the gut, and with a grunt of pain, he fell backwards, Laurel dropping on her back.

She was up again quickly, running over to Nylander before he could get up, planting a knee on his chest and leaning down, dropping her knife to take his head in both hands. “Slade was wrong after all,” she hissed. “You really _do_ need to worry.” She screamed in his ear, feeling Nylander thrash before he went limp, and Laurel let Nylander fall to the ground, blood trickling out of his ear. “That’s for him,” she growled.

* * *

Slade’s sword clashed against Joe’s so hard, sparks flew from their blades, father and son moving across the catwalks so fast they were blurs. Joe’s slashes were furious enough to be kill hits had Slade not gone on defense, Slade making sure Joe didn’t land a hit on him while trying to land disarming blows. “You used to be ruthless!” Joe glared. “What happened?”

“What you saw was the mirakuru!” Slade growled, blocking the swing aimed at his head.

“Stop lying!” Joe shouted. Slade shoved upwards, pushing Joe away from him. “I saw you kill before the mirakuru!” When his son rushed him, Slade blocked the sword and used Joe’s momentum to fling him over his shoulder, and as Joe tried to get to his feet, Slade put his sword at his neck. Joe took deep breaths, glaring up at him. “Milford Sound,” he revealed, and Slade’s eye widened. “That little father-son trip, the one you promised would be all about you and me? I saw what you did to that Chinese spy!”

“I was on a mission for ASIS,” Slade hissed.

Joe scoffed. “Well, here’s something you don’t know, something Mother never told you . . . I have a brother!” he revealed, Slade freezing in shock. Joe used that to his advantage, getting to his feet as he continued speaking “His name is Grant. Mother didn’t want him in this world, but me . . . I’m my father’s son. I made my first kill six months after our camping trip, and I slit his throat just like you did!” He threw a swift punch at Slade, knocking him to the ground. Joe was quick to draw the combat knife he had at his belt, pointing its tip at his father’s throat. “I wanted to be exactly like my father,” he hissed. “Like Deathstroke.”

“I am not Deathstroke anymore,” Slade shook his head.

Joe’s jaw clenched angrily. “Then you’re not my father anymore,” he sneered. “You’re just in my way!”

He raised the knife, but he looked at something behind Slade and froze. Slade couldn’t help but turn and saw Laurel run onto the catwalk, her own knife in her hand, this one covered in blood. She narrowed her eyes, and before Slade could stop her, Laurel opened her mouth and let out a sonic scream, louder than Slade had heard before. He winced and quickly covered his ears, bending his head and letting the scream pass over him. It hit Joe in the chest, and with a grunt, his son was catapulted away from him, hitting one of the columns at the other end with a loud thud.

Slade grimaced and tried to get to his feet, Laurel running up to him and grabbing his arm. “Are you OK?” she asked in concern.

“I’m fine,” Slade nodded.

“Good,” Laurel nodded back, turning to look at Joe, who was climbing to his feet. “What do we do about him?”

Slade turned to look at him as well, but Joe took the decision out of their hands. “I wish you’d stayed dead!” he spat, throwing something to the ground.

Slade twisted and blocked Laurel from the grenade explosion that blew up, closing his eye against the harsh light. When he opened it again and turned around, Joe had vanished. “He’s gone,” he sighed.

Laurel glared angrily at the flames left by the grenade, but squeezed Slade’s arm sympathetically as well.

* * *

“Well, I think our friend the warden will be happy to never see us again,” Laurel declared as she walked up to Slade later. “They got the rest of the Jackals in custody and is very relieved they’re no longer a problem.” She paused, seeing Slade looking at a picture on his phone. “Are you OK?” she asked quietly.

“My son,” Slade sighed, showing her the picture of himself and a young boy in what looked like a forest. “He saw me kill a man before the mirakuru, before Deathstroke. He followed in my path, Laurel.”

“Slade,” Laurel put a hand on his arm. “Don’t blame yourself. It won’t help you.”

“He’s _my_ son,” Slade shook his head. “Oliver once told me ‘never give up on family.’”

“And you haven’t,” Laurel told him. “After all this time, you’ve been looking for Joe, and you tried to reach him. You didn’t give up on him. You can’t give up now.”

“I don’t plan to,” Slade sighed, looking down at her hand on his arm before gently taking it. “But you need to go back to Star City.”

Laurel knitted her eyebrows. “You’ll keep looking for Joe?”

“Of course,” Slade nodded. “Him and Grant. It’s like you said, I can’t give up.”

“Good plan,” Laurel smiled. “And you know where to find me if you want my help again. Don’t hesitate to ask.”

“I won’t,” Slade shook his head. “You proved me correct, Laurel. You don’t seem to mind having your feet in both worlds.”

“It’s what makes life interesting,” Laurel smiled brilliantly. “I could demand you tell me when you find your sons so I can help you again.”

Slade snorted loudly. “I don’t think Joe would appreciate that after you screamed at him _twice.”_

“He can deal,” Laurel shrugged nonchalantly.

Slade snorted. “You saved me back there,” he told her. “You didn’t have to.”

“No, I didn’t,” Laurel agreed easily. “But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that it’s hard to be a hero when no one expects you to be. The easier path is being a criminal. I don’t know if it’s the ADA in me now, but I think I’m done being a criminal.”

“Worthy choice,” Slade nodded, squeezing her hand. “Thank you, Laurel, for everything you did.”

“You’re welcome,” Laurel squeezed back. “I meant what I said. If you need my help again, let me know.”

“That goes both ways,” Slade told her.

Laurel’s lips quirked up in a smirk. “Noted.”

“Fly safely.”

Laurel bit her lip, then stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Safe travels to you, too,” she told him.

Slade stared at her for a moment, then a genuine smile formed on his face. “I’ll see you again, Laurel.”

“I hope so,” Laurel smiled, shouldering her bag and turning to walk to the car they had driven.

When she turned around after putting her bag in the back seat, she caught Slade disappearing between two buildings, steam from the pipes shielding him from view. She swallowed, then whispered “Good luck” to empty air before getting into the driver’s seat.

She had a city to get back to.

* * *

For everyone being so concerned about where she was or what she was doing, Laurel found it rather ironic that the first person who noticed she was back was Oliver’s girlfriend.

She was walking through City Hall, looking over the cases she now had when she saw Kara head for Oliver’s office, two cups of coffee in her hands. “Kara,” she greeted casually, not looking up from her papers.

“Laurel,” she heard Kara respond as she got in the elevator, and just before the doors closed, she heard a surprised squeak and _“Laurel?”_

Laurel smirked to herself, holding her laughter in. She could do it after she was bombarded by questions from . . . well, everyone.

* * *

Sure enough, by the time she got back to her office, she found Quentin, Thea, and Dinah waiting for her to show up. “Where the hell have you been?” Dinah was the first to say something with a nasty glare.

“Aw, did you miss me?” Laurel smiled sarcastically. “That’s sweet.”

“You disappeared for a few days, and you expect to show up like nothing happened?” Dinah scowled as she followed Laurel practically on her heels into her office.

“Considering that’s exactly what happened, yes,” Laurel sat down, laying her files down and booting up her computer.

“Nothing?” Thea repeated dubiously.

Laurel gave her a mock offended look. “An ADA can’t ask for a few vacation days because she’s overwhelmed by the job the public demanded she get back to just after she returned from the dead?”

“Cute,” Dinah scoffed. “Real cute.”

Laurel rolled her eyes. “I didn’t become a criminal again, and there’s no mess for you to clean up. That’s all you need to know.”

“Laurel?” Oliver was next to enter her office. “When did you get back?”

“Oh,” Laurel pretended to think. “Last night. Which is why you didn’t see me here yesterday.”

“She’s clearly hiding something,” Dinah gestured at her.

“Yes, my private life which you shouldn’t stick your nose into,” Laurel glared at her, picking up a pen to sign off on a document on her desk. “Because _nothing happened_ you need to know about.”

“I seriously doubt that.”

“Hey!” Laurel’s eyes snapped up to glare at her. “Believe it or not, you’re not the only one who can go from a vengeance-driven killer or criminal into someone trying to practice the law.”

Dinah looked ready to throttle her, but Quentin held up his hand. “Dinah, give her a break,” he advised. “She really _was_ rushed into this, let her have some time.”

“Thank you,” Laurel nodded gratefully, looking at Oliver this time. “I took some time to myself, I didn’t become a criminal, and you won’t find me becoming Black Siren again any time soon. I may still be in that world, but the murderer I was got left on Lian Yu.”

Oliver pursed his lips, then nodded. “Fine,” he said, ignoring Dinah’s incredulous look. “Just watch yourself, all right?”

“Oliver Queen, concerned for me?” Laurel smirked. “Touching.”

“I’m concerned about you for Quentin,” Oliver corrected. “And I’m concerned about the ADA. Show you’re still not who you were, I’ll feel better about you.”

Laurel tilted her head, then clicked her pen. “Copy that.”

Oliver nodded, giving Dinah a warning look as he left, followed by Thea. Dinah gave Laurel a glare in response and stormed out as well. Quentin watched them go, then looked back at Laurel. “You really OK?” he asked.

Laurel looked at him, then nodded. “Yeah,” she told him. “I’m OK.” Quentin nodded, taking that answer and heading for the door. Laurel took a deep breath and called after him. “Actually . . . would you like to meet for dinner tonight?” she asked, making Quentin blink in surprise. “Or some time this week?”

Quentin blinked again, then smiled. “I’d like that,” he nodded as he left.

Laurel smiled as she watched him leave, then picked up her phone when it chirped. She didn’t recognize the number, but she didn’t need to.

_I owe you, Siren. Thank you._

Laurel smiled, saving Slade’s number in her phone before typing a response.

_Looking forward to when you do. You’re welcome._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? If you like this pairing, drop a prompt or two if there is something you would like to see of them!
> 
>  _Next time from CourtneyVanderDussen:_ I think it would be interesting to do a prompt where Mon-el is only gone for 7 months and it's been 7 years for Kara. And she's married to Oliver and has a family or what ever way you want to work it.
> 
> I think that would be interesting, too. Partly because there are way too many crackships I thought of that could happen.


	8. Emerald Steel ~ Seven Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompt from CourtneyVanderDussen:_ I think it would be interesting to do a prompt where Mon-el is only gone for 7 months and it's been 7 years for Kara. And she's married to Oliver and has a family, or what ever way you want to work it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A word of warning in advance: there are a few rare pairs (crackships, really) because I took this prompt and went "what kind of ships could happen" and just went with it, so if you don't agree with some of them, that's OK. This is fanfiction, not the actual shows, especially since this is a very AU prompt. There are also several memories/past POVs, along with a main POV that isn't Kara or Oliver, so I hope this isn't confusing.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow, Supergirl, The Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, or any of the DC shows and their characters. They belong to the CW and their writers.

The last thing Mon-El remembered before he went into cryosleep was Imra’s determined face, her desire to kill the Blight and avenge her sister clear in her eyes.

The first thing Mon-El realized when he woke up from cryosleep was the nagging feeling that they weren’t in the 31st century yet. So what had caused him to wake up?

A quick examination of the other cryotubes revealed his fellow Legionnaires had not woken yet. That didn’t help him at all, Brainy knew this ship better than him. Hell, _anyone_ from the 31st century would know this ship better than him, he was originally from the 21st century, for Rao’s sake!

He heard a sizzling sound from nearby, and internally cursing his luck, he hurried to the ship’s armory and grabbed the first gun he saw, preparing himself to shoot whoever had boarded the ship. He could hear voices buzzing from nearby, so clenching his jaw, he moved around the corner and aimed.

The next thing he knew, he received a humming ice blue gun, a buzzing armored fist, and a gauntleted fist in his face. He didn’t recognize the first two figures, but he did recognize the third.

And apparently the third figure recognized him, too, because he let out a surprised squawk and lowered his hand. _“What the frak?”_ he sputtered.

“Cisco?” Mon-El croaked, lowering his gun.

The owner of the ice blue gun, who was wearing a navy parka for some reason, turned and frowned at Cisco while the man in the armored suit blinked and lowered his arm. “You know him?” the man in the parka asked.

“Yeah,” Cisco swallowed. “Mon-El?”

The man in the parka was the one who blinked this time, and the man in the armored suit did a double take. “Wait, Mon-El?” he asked, looking at Mon-El in surprise. “As in – ?”

“Yeah, that Mon-El,” Cisco frowned. “What the hell are you doing here? And _alive?”_

Mon-El swallowed hard. “Can you help me?” he asked the Earth-1 native.

Cisco pursed his lips, looking around at the cryotubes. “With what?”

* * *

“OK, so let me get this straight,” Cisco rubbed his forehead as he watched Mon-El help Imra and Brainy check the cruiser over. “You went through an actual wormhole and ended up a thousand years in the future?”

“Yep,” Mon-El nodded.

“And in the process joined a group of superheroes to watch over the _entire universe?”_

“Mon-El formed us,” Imra smiled at him. “He did so in Supergirl’s image.”

The man in the armored suit, who Cisco had called Ray, cleared his throat while the man in the parka, who Cisco had called Leo, smirked and muttered “Awkward.” “OK,” Cisco sighed, looking around. “Well, as much as I would love to get my hands on this tech and help you out, we gotta tell the D.E.O. you’re back. They can probably help you, too.”

“We can meet Supergirl?” Imra’s eyes widened.

Mon-El held down his own excitement, trying to maintain formality as he nodded. “Thank you, Cisco.”

“Oh, you may not thank me later,” Cisco shook his head, opening a breach. “You’re in for a bit of a shock.”

* * *

To say Mon-El was shocked when they stepped through the breach and into wherever Cisco took them was an understatement. He almost didn’t recognize where they were until he saw the familiar D.E.O. logo on the floor. “This is the D.E.O.?” he asked in surprise, looking around.

“Yep,” Ray nodded.

Mon-El swallowed, seeing the skylights and wide-open windows and balconies, along with several holographic screens lining walls. “It wasn’t this high-tech when I left,” he said.

“Like I said, man,” Cisco looked at him. “A bit of a shock.”

“That’s an understatement.” Winn’s voice stopped Mon-El in his tracks, and he swallowed when his friend approached, a wary look in his eyes as he looked Mon-El up and down. “Please tell me I’m imagining things,” he finally said. “I really hope I’m imagining this.”

“Imagining what?” a blonde woman asked as she walked up as well, tilting her head as she looked at the three Legionnaires; she had her hair in a ponytail and was wearing black glasses, a tablet in her hands and a comms device in her ear, a similar device in Winn’s ear as well.

“Um, Kara’s ex and two . . . others,” Winn gestured.

A snort came from Winn’s other side, and Mon-El did a double take as Lena Luthor sauntered over and stopped by Winn, her hair in a tight braid down her back. “You’re not imagining, Winn,” she drawled, blood red lips curling in a scowl as she stared Mon-El down. “I see him.”

“Yeah, me, too,” the blonde nodded.

“Great,” Winn closed his eyes. “That’s just what we need today.”

Mon-El frowned and pointed at Lena. “What are _you_ doing here?”

The blonde’s eyebrows shot up while Lena’s eyes narrowed. “I work with the team,” she smiled sweetly. “Why else would I be here? As a prisoner?”

Alarms suddenly started blaring, and the blonde jumped. Winn’s eyes hardened in determination, and he turned on his heel, hurrying towards a ring of computers nearby. “Everyone, stay sharp!” he barked, Lena not giving Mon-El a second look as she followed after Winn; the blonde gave them one last look before hurrying away, too. “That’s our cue!”

“Harry?” Lena asked, joining a black-haired man with glasses at one computer.

“Still hacked into the Lexosuit,” he told her, eyes narrowed in concentration; with a start, Mon-El recognized the voice of H.R. Wells from Barry’s team on Earth-1. “It’s him.”

 _“Telle, what are we heading into?”_ a rough male voice asked over whatever connection was in the D.E.O.

“Looks like an estimated fifty of those super soldiers,” Winn answered, narrowing his eyes as he looked at a screen of heat signatures. “Along with Lex, a few Metallos, and their Red Daughter.”

_“Is the Atom there?”_

Mon-El’s heart skipped a beat when he heard Kara’s voice, and Winn turned to look at Ray, who had straightened. “I copy,” Ray spoke.

_“Great. We need you out here.”_

“What about me and Vibe?” Leo asked as Ray put his helmet back on.

A crunch came over the line, then the male voice answered. _“We’ll get back to you on that.”_

 _“Which means yes,”_ an Australian voice interrupted.

 _“Yeah, a bit of help against these super soldiers would be nice,”_ a voice Mon-El vaguely recognized as Caitlin’s said.

“Copy that,” Cisco cracked his knuckles, then opened a breach. “Heading your way.”

Mon-El watched him and Leo disappear through the breach, then approached Winn, taking in the black jumpsuit he was wearing, the unmistakable diamond House of El shield on his armbands in brilliant cobalt blue. Lena, Harry, and the blonde were wearing similar outfits with the same armbands; while Lena’s had the blue House of El shield, the blonde’s armbands had an emerald arrow on them, and Harry’s had ruby lightning bolts. “Winn,” he whispered. “How long has it been?”

Winn held up a hand. “We’re a bit busy.”

 _“You don’t say!”_ Barry’s voice barked.

 _“Easy, Flash,”_ Leo said. _“He’s got a reason to be on edge.”_

There was a sizzling sound, followed by a muffled curse. _“Yeah, good reason,”_ an unfamiliar male voice said. _“I don’t like these Metallos!”_

 _“You’re – ”_ The voice of Clark Kent was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of heat vision. _“Not the only one, Steel!”_

 _“Constantine, behind you!”_ a worried female voice called.

Pause. _“Thanks, love!”_ came a British male’s voice.

_“You’re welcome!”_

Mon-El shook his head, cutting the chatter out of his ears as Imra walked up to him. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Mon-El frowned. “How would I know? Barely anything in the future survived!”

Imra flinched at his tone, then there was a triumphant whoop from Barry. _“Lexosuit’s down!”_

“Got it!” the blonde at the computer cheered suddenly. “Metallos disabled!”

 _“About time!”_ an annoyed female voice grumbled.

 _“What about their Red Daughter?”_ a tight, concerned female voice demanded.

 _“She’s wearing down,”_ an unfamiliar female voice answered. _“We’ve almost got her.”_

“Checkmate?” Winn turned. “Will the Harun-El be ready?”

“It will be when they get her here,” Lena nodded, tapping away at her tablet.

 _“Good,”_ the first male voice said. _“Maybe this time they’ll realize it’s not a good idea to attack us when we’re all here.”_

 _“That’ll be the day,”_ Barry snorted.

There was a triumphant cheer from Kara, then J’onn’s voice came on. _“We’ve got her.”_

“Thank God,” Lena sighed in relief.

“Copy that,” Winn smiled. “Nice work.”

 _“I’m bringing her back,”_ Cisco said.

A second later, a breach opened up, and Mon-El turned to see an exact doppelgänger of Kara stumble through in a suit of black and red, an unfamiliar crest on her chest. With her came a dark-haired woman in a black suit with violet accents, a black mask, dark lipstick, and armored gauntlets . . . and Alex Danvers in a black leather suit with piping of metallic colors, her own lips painted dark red, her jaw-length hair wispy around her face. She froze when she saw Mon-El, then her eyes narrowed to slits. “What the hell?” she demanded.

“That was my internal reaction,” Winn nodded.

“No, what the actual hell,” Alex shook her head, turning to the woman in black, who was looking at Mon-El curiously. “Get her to a cell.”

“You got it,” the woman tugged the Kara lookalike off.

Alex marched up to Mon-El, narrowing her eyes. “How the hell are you not dead?” she asked.

Mon-El frowned, offended. “Alex – ”

“No, seriously, there’s lead in the atmosphere,” Alex scowled. “You should be dead.”

“A cure was developed in the future by L-Corp,” Imra spoke up, drawing Alex’s attention to her. “It was given to Mon-El when he arrived in the 31st century.”

Alex blinked once, then twice, then slowly looked back at Mon-El. “The 31st century,” she repeated.

“Yeah,” Mon-El nodded, already getting a headache as he predicted he was going to get asked this a lot.

Alex took a deep breath. “Mon-El . . . how long has it been for you since you left in the pod?”

“Seven months,” Mon-El answered promptly. Seven months, he’d been away from Kara. Seven months he’d spent in the future keeping her memory alive in a place where everything from the past was lost.

The blonde’s eyes widened, and Winn closed his eyes as a quiet curse came from Lena. Alex just looked long and hard at Mon-El. “Mon-El,” she said quietly. “It’s 2024 now.”

Mon-El could feel the blood drain from his face. “2024?” he repeated, eyes widening. “But that’s . . . that’s – ”

“Seven years,” Alex nodded.

Mon-El swallowed hard. “I’ve been gone for _seven years?”_ Alex simply nodded again. “Oh, my God.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Winn nodded.

“So it may be a good idea for you to hang back a little,” Alex advised . . . and did the great terrifying Alex Danvers look _uncomfortable?_ “Things have changed. A lot has.”

Mon-El took into consideration how confident and at ease Winn looked at his station, how Lena and Harry were looking at him, almost daring him to contradict Alex, and that blonde girl who looked like she was taking an extreme amount of interest in her keyboard. He could already tell things were going to be different, so he silently nodded and backed up with Imra and Brainy, the two other Legionnaires seeming confused about why they had to back away.

They got their answer when another breach opened and Kara – the actual Kara – stepped out, her blonde hair longer than he remembered and twisted into an elaborate braid down her back. The skirt she used to wear was gone and she wore pants instead, tucked into boots that looked sturdier than the heeled ones she had before. With her came Barry Allen, his face hardened from the years that had passed, a steely look in his eyes. His usual red suit now had gold piping and lightning accents, making him look more intimidating.

Then they were followed out by another man and another woman, the two dragging who appeared to be Lex Luthor between them, the bald man looking dazed.  The woman was in a suit of white, the top a halter around her neck, a long leather coat reaching the top of her boots, silver batons that occasionally pulsed with weak green light holstered to her thighs, her hair tightly braided back. The man was in a Kevlar suit of dark green, a bow held tight in his hand, quiver almost empty of arrows on his back. Both gripped an arm of Lex Luthor tightly, though Mon-El wouldn’t have been inclined to run based on the two that stepped out of the breach after them: one a man in an armored suit with blue and orange accents, his mask split down the middle, half orange, half black, the other a woman with blonde hair in a black suit with fishnet accents on her arms and legs, the top flaring out at her waist and acting like a skirt. “Nice work,” Winn complimented them, eyeing Lex.

“It took blasts from me and Wally, but we managed,” Barry folded his arms, the blonde in black stopping by his side, a smug look on her face.

“And then it just took an explosive arrow to take out the Lexosuit,” Oliver shrugged.

“Let’s get him out of here,” Kara scowled, and Mon-El saw Clark and J’onn fly into the D.E.O. past them. “The sooner he’s in a cell, the better.” She paused, looking over her shoulder. “No offense, Lena.”

“None taken,” Lena shook her head, curling her lip as she looked at her brother. “I don’t want to look at him right now.”

“After you,” the man in green nodded to Kara, the woman in white releasing her grip.

“Thank you,” Kara nodded, gripping Lex’s arm tightly; she took a few steps, then stopped, face darkening. “And then I’m talking to the three behind you, Alex.”

Imra started as Mon-El flinched, and like a well-oiled machine, Kara’s friends turned to see the Legionnaires. Barry immediately bristled, but Kara simply walked forward, never looking back. The man in green said something quietly to her, and she nodded curtly as they disappeared with Lex.

To Mon-El’s surprise, it was the blonde in black by Barry that sauntered forward first, peering at him curiously. Mon-El fidgeted under her gaze, then she barked out a laugh and backed up. “So he’s the one who gets poisoned if he’s hit with a lead pipe?”

“Laurel,” Barry sighed.

“What? You said he was allergic to it.”

“Apparently not anymore, if he’s here and not dead,” the man in the mask rumbled, reaching up and removing it to reveal a man with one eye, his hair dark with the occasional speckle of grey. That made him more intimidating as he fixed his gaze on Mon-El. “Which is surprising that he’s here at all.”

“He doesn’t look much different, either,” the blonde in white tilted her head.

“That’s because it’s been seven months for him,” Alex finally spoke.

The man in the armor’s eyebrows shot up, and the woman in black – Laurel, apparently – asked in a gleeful tone, _“Really?”_

“I hate time travel,” was all Barry had to say, sighing as he rubbed his forehead.

“I agree,” the woman in white pointed at him. “Time travel’s a bitch.”

Mon-El finally cleared his throat. “Barry . . . good to see you again.”

Barry sighed, nodding and stepping forward, extending his hand. “You, too . . . though I can honestly say I never expected to lay eyes on you again.”

“I always hoped to come back, but we had never found a way,” Mon-El admitted, shaking his hand; he heard more breaches opening and more people filling the D.E.O., but he kept his focus on those in front of him. “I missed a lot, it seems.”

Laurel snorted. “That’s an understatement.”

Barry nodded, gesturing to her. “Meet Black Siren . . . or Laurel Lance-Allen, my wife.”

Mon-El did a double take. “I thought you were with Iris?”

“I was,” Barry’s eyes darkened. “Then Savitar killed her when we couldn’t find a way to save her.”

Mon-El flinched, and the woman in white glared at him. “Way to go, Mon-El.”

“This is Sara Lance, the White Canary and captain of the Legends,” Winn gestured to her. “And my girlfriend.”

“Turns out when your teams meet up much more often than they probably should, everyone mingles and ends up in a pair you don’t expect,” Sara said cheerily, sauntering to Winn’s side and putting her arm on his shoulder, leaning against him.

“Prime examples being the brothers of Team Arrow and the sisters of Team Supergirl,” Laurel grinned.

Mon-El’s eyebrows shot up as the man in the armor rolled his eye and Alex huffed. “What a wonderful friend you are, Siren,” the auburn-haired woman grumbled.

“Hey, I’m saying things as they are, aren’t I?”

“Wait,” Mon-El pointed. “You and – ?”

“Slade Wilson, also known as Deathstroke,” Alex nodded, the man silently making his way to stand with her. “Turns out I’m demisexual and Maggie was the first real person I felt attraction to.”

“So, brothers and sisters,” Mon-El said slowly. “That means Kara – ?”

“Yes,” the woman herself answered, walking back with the man in green. “I married Oliver over five years ago.” She stopped in front of the Daxamite, taking a deep breath. “I thought you were dead.”

He swallowed hard. “You look good, Kara.”

Something flickered in her eyes, and she sighed. “You do, too.” She stepped backwards, and the man in green – Oliver, Mon-El guessed – looked at her worriedly. “The lead poisoning?”

“Cured,” Mon-El answered. “L-Corp develops it in the future.”

“The future?” Sara parroted.

Mon-El nodded, gesturing to his team. “Imra and Brainy – well, and me, I suppose – are from the 31st century.”

Barry groaned, burying his face in his hands. “I _hate_ time travel sometimes.”

“Agreed,” Sara scowled. “So what are you doing here and now?”

Brainy cleared his throat, looking around the D.E.O. “Perhaps not in the company of so many?”

Slade’s eye narrowed, and Laurel stiffened, but Oliver looked at Kara and raised an eyebrow. Kara stepped forward and examined Brainy, then folded her arms. “What exactly do you know of this building in this year?” she asked.

Brainy blinked, obviously not having expected that. “Uh . . . well – ”

“Kara, we didn’t discuss everything at the D.E.O.,” Mon-El spoke up.

“Who said this was just the D.E.O. building anymore?” Alex asked.

At Mon-El’s startled look, Kara nodded, stepping back to join Oliver. “In addition to the D.E.O., this is the Earth-38 headquarters of the Justice League, a group of heroes from multiple Earths who fight threats that no one else can.” Her blue eyes hardened. “So we can leave to a private room . . . but if you’re here about a threat, we are doing this with my fellow League members present.”

Mon-El heard Imra take a deep breath to say something – most likely to refuse – and he looked around, seeing Sara fold her arms and Barry raise a challenging eyebrow. “All right,” he nodded before Imra could say a word, making her look incredulously at him. “Deal.”

* * *

“OK,” Alex folded her arms as she, Kara, Barry, Oliver, and Sara gathered with Mon-El, Imra, and Brainy in the Legion ship. “What brings superheroes from the 31st century all the way back here?”

“So one thousand years from now, this farming planet, Winath, goes dark,” Mon-El began, turning on a holoprojector and displaying a planet in the air. “Our friend, Ayla, she’s from there, so she goes to check it out.”

“Winath was a paradise,” Imra continued. “But Ayla made planet-fall and found it – ”

“Decimated,” Mon-El sighed, and Kara’s eyes widened as the planet turned red. “It was completely dried out.”

“The creatures that did this, we call them the Blight,” Imra said. “They consume everything in their path.”

“And Brainy found a way to stop them, but they were on us before we could use it.”

“So we hid the information in the safest place we could . . . our DNA, where it can’t be lost, can’t be stolen.”

“In your _genes?”_ Barry asked in shock.

“That’s incredible,” Oliver admitted.

Brainy gave a proud smile, and Mon-El nodded. “So, that’s why we’re here.”

“The Blight is here?” Kara asked. “Now?”

“Not the Blight exactly,” Imra shook her head. “We are here for who will eventually evolves into the Blight.”

“Who’s that?” Alex opened the tablet she had in her hands.

“A Kryptonian Worldkiller,” Imra answered. “Known as Pestilence.”

Alex froze, looking up at them. “Worldkillers?” she repeated. “Pestilence?”

“Yes,” Imra nodded. “They – ” Sara snorted loudly, and Imra looked at her sharply as the blonde hurriedly covered her mouth, though her shoulders kept shaking. “I’m sorry, is this funny to you?” she snapped.

“A little,” Sara admitted, voice muffled through her hand. “Oh, time travel really _is_ a bitch.”

“What Sara means to say,” Oliver, too, had a small smile on his face, “is that we faced the Worldkillers six years ago.”

 _“What?”_ Mon-El’s eyes widened.

“That’s impossible,” Imra shook her head wildly as Brainy moved to another console to check. “We programmed the ship to wake us up when the Worldkillers appeared!”

“It’s very possible,” Kara told her, gesturing to Alex, who flipped her tablet around and displayed three women on screen: a black-haired woman in black and blue with sickly yellow eyes, a black woman in bronze and black with pure white eyes, and a brunette in black, complete with a mask displaying demonic red eyes. “The first Worldkiller, Reign, appeared nine months after Mon-El left. She nearly killed me before the rest of the League joined the fight.”

“Purity appeared a few months later, and it took Pestilence only a few weeks to show her face,” Oliver continued. “We were able to turn Purity against her sisters, and she and Pestilence killed each other, leaving Reign left.”

“And we were able to help Reign’s human side defeat her Worldkiller side, and Reign is officially dead as well,” Kara finished as Alex put down her tablet. “All three Worldkillers, dead and gone.”

“They’re right,” Brainy swallowed, looking up from his console. “We are years too late.”

“How is that possible?” Imra snapped, eyes wild as she stormed up to the Coluan. “You input the calculations yourself!”

“Could the _Waverider_ possibly interfered?” Barry wondered.

“Who knows?” Sara shrugged, tapping the gauntlet she had on her wrist. “Gideon?”

 _“I’ll run calculations immediately, Captain,”_ a female British voice came from her gauntlet, and from similar gauntlets that Oliver, Barry, and Kara wore. _“It is possible that, if this ship has traveled in time, the_ Waverider _could have affected its systems.”_

“Guess that means a few people could help you fix this place up,” Barry shrugged.

Imra was seething still as she returned to Mon-El’s side, and he looked apologetically at Kara and Alex. “Her sister was one of the Blight’s victims,” he explained, making their eyes brighten in understanding. “She was anxious to end Pestilence before she could become the Blight.”

“But since Pestilence is dead now, she’ll be alive when you return,” Oliver pointed out.

Imra, who had started to open her mouth once Mon-El spoke, shut it again, cheeks burning as she realized Oliver was right. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, ducking her head.

“It’s OK,” Kara smiled at her. “I would do anything to save my sister, too.”

Barry cleared his throat. “Perhaps a few of us could help you fix your ship while you catch up with the others?”

“I’d appreciate that,” Mon-El said gratefully. “I know . . . practically nothing about what’s happened in the years since I left.”

“In the year 2455, Earth experienced a third-degree extinction phenomenon,” Brainy spoke up. “We lost everything . . . interesting.”

“Interesting?” Oliver repeated.

“History, culture, art, music, life,” Imra rattled off.

“OK, yeah, that’s a lot,” Barry cringed.

* * *

When they returned to the D.E.O., Barry and Sara called Cisco, Harry, Wally West, and three members of the Legends – Ray Palmer, a black-haired woman with a blood red jewel named Zari Tomaz, and a black man with a dark-haired young woman named Jefferson Jackson – to assist with repairing the Legion ship. J’onn, Winn, the blonde in glasses named Felicity Smoak, and another black man wearing glasses named Curtis Holt, volunteered themselves as well, and they joined Imra and Brainy onboard the ship.

And Mon-El returned with Kara, Alex, Oliver, Barry, Sara, Slade, Laurel, Caitlin Snow, the dark-haired woman who had been in black and violet Alex introduced as Samantha Arias, two people Oliver introduced as John Diggle and his sister Thea, and three men Sara introduced as Martin Stein, Mick Rory, and Nate Heywood to a place Mon-El guessed was Kara’s and Oliver’s loft in National City. It was a mix of modern chrome and marble and homey wood and colors Mon-El had associated with Kara’s previous loft. There were also three bedrooms in addition to what had to be the master.

It just further made Mon-El realize, with a sinking feeling, that Kara truly had moved on. “Where should we start?” Alex asked.

“The beginning,” Mon-El answered. “How all this – ” He generally gestured to the room of heroes. “Began.”

Oliver smirked. “Is it just me who finds it ironic that where this began is the same place Slade and I started off?”

“Lian Yu,” Slade shook his head. “Always goes back to that bloody island.”

“It actually started not long after the fight against the Daxamites ended,” Kara recalled, tilting her head thoughtfully. “It actually cut short Alex and Maggie’s beginning discussion about what they wanted for their wedding . . . ”

* * *

_Alex laughed with Winn, finishing her report when she looked around and realized someone vitally important was missing. “Hey, I’m gonna find Kara,” she told Maggie with a smile._

_“Go ahead, Danvers,” the cop smiled back, not even arguing._

_Beaming, Alex kissed her fiancée – her_ fiancée! _– on the cheek and wove her way through the D.E.O., occasionally thanking someone who offered their congratulations. She found Kara where she guessed she would, on the D.E.O. balcony._

_Except Kara wasn’t gazing up at the stars where she had been looking for, as if trying to see Mon-El in space. Instead, she was looking down at the slim silver device she held, fiddling with it absently. “Hey,” she put a hand on her arm. “You all right?”_

_“Yeah,” Kara nodded, looking up at her. “Yeah, I’m fine.”_

_Alex tilted her head, noticing the distracted look she had. “No, you’re not.”_

_Kara sighed, ducking her head. “I got a message from a friend of mine on Earth-1,” she explained. “He needs help. Any help his friends can give.”_

_“And you want to go,” Alex guessed._

_Kara swallowed. “If Oliver’s calling for help . . . he needs it, Alex. I want to go, I really do . . . ”_

_Alex frowned, thinking that name over. “Oliver . . . Oliver Queen?” she asked. “That archer?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Completely human, yet every hero looks up to him?” Kara nodded, and Alex looked around the D.E.O. Maggie was speaking with Winn, whose hands were moving rapidly as he described something. Alex finally turned back around. “Give me a minute to get changed into a better suit?”_

_“Wait, what?” Kara did a double take._

_“Your friend needs help, any help you can give,” Alex answered. “So we’re going to go help.”_

_Kara’s face split with a grin. “I have the best sister ever.”_

_“You bet you do!” Alex grinned, going back down the stairs._

* * *

“You were honest to God life savers that day,” Thea said gratefully. “If you hadn’t come when you had . . . ”

* * *

_Dinah had just opened her mouth to scream when the sound of startled shouts and bodies landing on the ground outside stopped her short._

_Oliver turned around, John and Quentin looking just as confused. “Was that part of your plan?” the deputy mayor asked._

_“Not mine,” Oliver narrowed his eye, adjusting his stance. “I don’t know – ”_

_Abruptly, the door swung open, and in toppled one of Talia’s assassins, slumping down on the ground, completely unconscious._

_And in through the same door came an auburn-haired woman in a black tactical suit, two guns holstered on her thighs, a bulletproof vest completing the look. “Oliver Queen?” she guessed, pointing the sword she must have taken from one of the assassins at the archer in green._

_“Who’s asking?” Oliver frowned._

_“Nice to meet you,” she walked forward, holding up the key ring she held in her other hand. “Name’s Alex Danvers. I hope you know my sister, otherwise this is a bit embarrassing.”_

_“Kara?” Oliver’s eyes widened as John inhaled sharply. “Kara’s here?”_

_“She’s flying around the island looking for your son,” Alex nodded, inserting the key into the lock of his chains. “Let me tell you, when she heard he was involved in this, she got_ really _upset. Then again,” she went on in a nonchalant voice as the chains fell to the ground, “so did I, but then again, I’m not a superpowered alien.”_

 _Oliver let the simple fact that Kara had come after all – and had also brought her_ sister _to help – then gave her a small smile. “Nice to meet you, Alex.”_

_“Yeah, you too,” Alex smiled back._

* * *

_Oliver rounded the corner with Alex, the others behind them, in time to see Talia collapse on the ground, Nyssa frowning down at her. Slade gave them a quick look before he did a double take and abruptly raised the sword he had, aiming at Alex. “Slade, wait!” Oliver held up his hands as Alex did the same thing, her eyes narrowed. “Alex, it’s OK!”_

_“Kid?” Slade asked, voice a low growl._

_“Alex Danvers, Slade Wilson, Slade Wilson, Alex Danvers,” Oliver made the introductions. “She and her sister are a bit late, but they’re friendly.”_

_“Wait, he was only pretending to screw with you?” John asked as Alex and Slade sized each other up._

_“I needed to find a way to get the device to Dinah, but that ended up not needed,” Oliver gestured to Alex, who finally stepped back behind Oliver, causing Slade to relax. “Have you found my son?” he asked Slade._

_“I’ve searched,” the Aussie shook his head. “Your son is not here.”_

_“Kara?” Alex put a hand to her ear. “Any luck?”_

_“I’ve found a boat at the back of the island that’s got someone on it,” Kara reported. “I’m checking it out now. Give me a few seconds.” Alex tapped Oliver on the shoulder, causing him to look at her expectantly. Kara finally spoke again, sounding excited. “I’ve got him!”_

_“Hang on,” Alex took the device out of her ear, reaching for a radio at her belt. She inserted the device into the radio, holding it out to Oliver. “Say that again?”_

_“I’ve found him,” Kara said, making Oliver sag in relief and Rene whoop. “He’s scared, but he’s OK.”_

_“Oh, thank God, Kara,” Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose. “Thank you.”_

_“You’re welcome,” Kara sounded pleased with herself. “I saw Thea on one of my laps, I’ll leave him with her.”_

_“Just make sure he’s safe.”_

_“Oh, Oliver,” an oily voice said, “I thought you would know by now.”_

_Everyone spun around, Slade and Nyssa raising their swords, Alex drawing one of her guns in addition to holding the sword she had at ready. Oliver’s hand tightened around his bow as from every hall came Talia’s assassins. From one direction as well came Black Siren, her black-painted lips curved in a smug smirk._

_And facing Oliver and Alex was Adrian Chase, the man’s eyes glinting cruelly. “No one close to you is ever safe,” he finished._

* * *

_Kara kept her arms tight around William’s waist, the boy’s arms clinging around her neck as she flew over Lian Yu, eyes fixated on the group that included Thea Queen, Felicity Smoak, and Curtis Holt. “Almost there,” she murmured, feeling his grip tighten in response._

_Another signature caught her eye on the ground, and frowning, Kara narrowed her eyes, using her X-ray vision to see better. Her frown deepened in unease . . . those didn’t look like the landmines she had seen earlier . . ._

_When she finally realized what she was seeing, her eyes widened in shock, and she picked up speed, making William yelp. She hurriedly apologized even as she landed on the ground, causing Curtis to yelp and Felicity to shriek. It was the last woman in the group, with brunette hair in a tan trench coat, who didn’t so much as blink; instead, she shouted William’s name and ran right to him, the boy running into her arms as well._ “Kara?” _Thea gawked._

_“I’ve got to go!” Kara turned tail and ran, jumping back into the sky._

* * *

_If Alex was asked if she preferred fighting aliens or human beings more, she would typically say aliens because they brought a challenge she never faced before. Whether it was a super power or trait that set them apart from each other, there was always something new to face on Earth-38._

_But here on Lian Yu, fighting human assassins? Alex was honestly having the time of her life as she wove through swords and occasionally swiped with her sword or fired one of her guns. Every human was different as well, in the ways they were trained or the ways they spoke or the ways they held themselves. She could even see it in how Nyssa’s and Oliver’s fighting styles were similar but not quite the same; in fact, Oliver seemed to have a fighting style similar to Chase’s and the other assassins, yet she could even see some of Slade’s style as well. Lots could tell you about a person even in just motions._

_Such as Slade, for instance, whenever he intercepted an assassin trying to place himself close to the fight happening between Oliver and Chase. In a way, it reminded Alex of how she often placed herself in danger so Kara wouldn’t have to take her focus away from a fight much more important than everyone else’s . . . and Alex didn’t need to connect any more dots after remembering how Slade instantly reacted to her as if she was a threat when he saw her by Oliver._

_So she abruptly spun on her heel and joined by Slade, the two of them a wall standing between the assassins and the duel of Oliver and Chase. “Brothers?” she shouted over the clash of swords._

_“Once!” she heard the Aussie growl back, punctuated by a stabbing sound. “Not by blood!”_

_Alex shot one assassin down, risking a look over her shoulder. “Family doesn’t end in blood!” she countered._

_The man shot her a look that she couldn’t read with the mask shielding his face, but the respectful nod he gave her spoke volumes._

_Abruptly, one of the windows shattered above them, and Alex quickly ducked, covering her neck as best she could as glass fell around her. She heard Oliver yelp and Chase curse, then the other man let out a strangled yell and there was a thump on the ground in front of them._

_When she looked up, she found Kara with her knees on Chase’s chest, pinning him to the ground, her hands holding his wrists so he couldn’t move. Black Siren spun around from where she’d been facing Dinah, freezing when she saw what was happening. Kara’s eyes flashed as she sneered down at Chase. “Where’s the detonator?” she asked sharply._

_“Detonator?” Alex repeated, eyes wide._

_“For all the bombs around the island,” Kara answered, not looking up at John’s quiet swear. “The ones that_ aren’t _landmines. I’ve searched the entire place and I haven’t found anything.”_

_Chase just laughed maniacally, and Rene narrowed his eyes. “He really is crazy, isn’t he, Hoss?”_

_Slade’s head shot upwards, and he looked at Oliver. “He wanted you to kill him, kid.”_

_“Dead man’s switch,” Oliver murmured, eyes wide. “He wanted me to kill him so the entire island would blow up.”_

_“And everyone you loved would die anyway,” Chase managed through laughter; Alex saw Black Siren’s face pale as she looked at Chase with a new expression . . . horror. “Either way, you lose!”_

_Kara’s eyes narrowed to slits, and she threw a sharp right hook, knocking Chase out with a single hit. She was gone in a blur, and suddenly all of the assassins were collapsed on the ground as well. She glared down at Chase, then silently turned to Black Siren. The woman, however, held her hands up silently, glaring down at Chase. “I didn’t know about the bombs,” she said._

_“Yeah, I find that hard to believe,” Dinah scoffed._

_“Heartbeats don’t lie,” Kara shook her head._

_“I trust Kara,” Oliver said before Dinah could open her mouth again. “Quentin, keep an eye on her.”_

_“Yep,” he nodded in relief._

_“And Kara?” She silently turned, and she blinked in surprise at the pure gratefulness in his eyes. “Thank you.”_

_Kara smiled widely, the first true smile Alex had seen from her since Mon-El had vanished. “You’re welcome.”_

* * *

“Chase didn’t have a single chance to do anything that could set off the bombs and kill every single one of us,” Thea sighed happily. “I just wish I’d seen her knock him out.”

“It was glorious,” John chuckled, making Kara blush.

“So you and Maggie were actually engaged?” Mon-El asked in surprise.

Alex ducked her head. “We _were,”_ she nodded. “After Lian Yu, a few of us started going back and forth between universes . . . but when I broke off our engagement, that was when . . . more started to happen between our groups.”

* * *

_Alex tossed back another shot, absently tapping the glass on the bar counter when she was finished. She was picking up the next one when she heard the seat next to her pull out. She didn’t need to look beside her to see who it was; it was one of two presences she would always recognize from Earth-1. “Did Kara send you?” she asked thickly, reaching for the next shot glass._

_“No,” Slade shook his head, watching her fingers trace the rim of the glass. “But I was back in town and thought I would drop by.” He nodded to the glass she picked up. “I didn’t expect to find you here drinking away.”_

_Alex snorted. “You know, uh . . . Kara told me once that if I lost Maggie, I would be at a bar drinking and I would be broken.” She lifted the glass in mock salute. “Score one for the girl from Krypton.”_

_Slade frowned, watching her down the drink. “What happened?”_

_Alex scoffed, putting the glass down. “She and I didn’t agree on the topic of children,” she answered. “I’ve always wanted to be a mother. Maggie didn’t.”_

_Slade sighed, signaling for the bartender to get him a drink as well. “I’m sorry, Alex,” he said sincerely. “But I understand. My son Joe was everything to me before Lian Yu.”_

_Alex choked on her next drink, coughing as she put the glass down. “Here I am drinking my sorrows about breaking up with my fiancée about children while you’re still looking for your son,” she wiped her mouth. “Is there irony in that?”_

_“I think you’re not sober anymore,” Slade raised an eyebrow._

_Alex snorted loudly. “Thank you, Captain Obvious.”_

_Slade watched her down another drink before he uncapped his beer. “I have a suggestion.”_

_“Oh,_ this _will be good.”_

_“I came back to Star City because my lead on Joe paid off.”_

_That caused Alex to put down her next shot, her full attention on Slade. “Really?” she asked. Slade nodded, and a smile, albeit small, formed on the woman’s face. “That’s good!”_

_“Not quite,” Slade shook his head. “He took after me, joined ASIS. That landed him in a prison in Kasnia.”_

_“Oh, God,” her eyes widened._

_“I came back to Star City to ask Oliver for help,” Slade nodded, taking a sip of his drink. “What if you came as well?”_

_Alex did a double take._ “Me?!”

_“Why not?” Slade shrugged._

_“Um,” Alex sputtered, “I’m a D.E.O. agent – ”_

_“Surely capable of taking time off – ”_

_“ – and we barely know each other!”_

_“It’s been months since Lian Yu, only one of which I was gone,” Slade reminded her. “And you look like you could use a distraction from Maggie, or even this universe.” Alex fell silent at that. “What do you say? Perhaps Kara could come as well.” He smirked. “I doubt Oliver would argue that.”_

_Alex mulled it over, then finished her last shot and turned to him. “You have a deal, Wilson.”_

* * *

“Long story short, both of us got dragged to Kasnia,” Alex went on.

“We did not _drag_ you,” Slade grumbled. “That makes it sound worse than it was.”

“Jackals,” Kara threw out. “I had fun punching Nylander, though.”

“Which _I_ wanted to do,” Alex glowered at her.

“Then you should have gone with Oliver and not Slade!”

 _“Anyway,”_ Barry cleared his throat before the two of them could bicker any further, despite Oliver and Slade exchanging amused looks. “From the timeline we figured out, it wasn’t long after that when we thought all of the teams would try to meet up again, this time without a crisis going on in either world.”

“How long did that last?” Sara snickered. “One night?”

“Sounds about right,” Barry said cheerfully.

“Yes, it lasted one night,” Oliver smirked. “But Kara’s team fit in pretty well, all things considered.”

* * *

_“Do you plan on drinking the bar, Danvers?”_

_Winn yelped on Kara’s other side, fumbling with his glass before he managed to catch it. Kara giggled and caught it for him before turning around, a wide grin on her face. “Sara!”_

_“Hey, Kara,” the other blonde smiled back, giving her a hug. “It’s good to see you.”_

_“Yeah, with no alien invasion, it’s nice to talk to other people about things other than work,” Kara beamed, then gestured to her friend, who had turned around as well, still fiddling with his drink. “Uh, Sara, this is my friend Winn. He’s the first person I told I was Supergirl.”_

_“Really?” Sara asked curiously, tilting her head and making Winn fidget. She let her gaze linger, enjoying the way Winn’s eyes widened further, before she finally grinned. “He must be a keeper if you trust him that much.”_

_“I like to think so,” Kara smiled proudly as Winn did a double take. “He’s the best techie I could ask for.”_

_Sara smiled as Winn flushed. “Definitely keep him, then.” She held out her hand. “Sorry for startling you, Winn. It’s nice to meet you.”_

_“Yeah,” Winn cleared his throat, shaking her hand. “You, too.”_

* * *

“I scared the hell out of Winn,” Sara recalled proudly.

“Yeah, and when Slade and Laurel showed up when the Nazis did, they scared the hell out of me,” Barry grumbled.

 _“Nazis?!”_ Mon-El repeated.

“Yeah,” Oliver nodded. “From a universe known as Earth-X.”

“I hate Nazis,” Mick grunted.

“Join the club,” Nate agreed.

“And that’s when – ?” Mon-El gestured between Barry and Laurel.

“Kind of, yeah,” Barry nodded.

* * *

_“You_ left me _in that pipeline to_ rot! _What else was I supposed to do?!”_

_“I didn’t mean to leave you there!” Barry protested, though it sounded weak even to his ears as he argued in the time vault with Black Siren – or Laurel, as Oliver, Kara, and their teams called her. “I didn’t! It was just that after we captured you . . . ”_

_“You defeated Zoom, and that was that,” Laurel huffed. “You could have let me go! You could have let me go back to Earth-2! Why did you keep me here? To look at me, remind you of the Laurel from this Earth?”_

_“No!” Barry sputtered. “That wasn’t it at all!”_

_“Then_ why?” _Laurel demanded. “Why was my last resort a madman I followed because he freed me from here?”_

_Barry swallowed hard, lowering his head. “Because . . . I’m sorry, Laurel, but you were honestly the last thing on my mind.”_

_Laurel’s jaw dropped, and her face turned red in anger._ “Why?!”

 _“Because after Zoom, I went back in time to save my mom,” Barry let out in a rush, speaking rapidly so Laurel wouldn’t interrupt. “And it created an entirely different timeline we called Flashpoint, where both of my parents were alive and I wasn’t the Flash, but everything was wrong and I convinced Thawne to go back and kill my mom so the timeline would reset back to normal, except it_ didn’t, _and it caused Joe and Iris to become distant and Cisco’s brother was dead and Caitlin developed her metahuman abilities and John’s daughter became a son and – ”_

_“Slow down!” Laurel held her hands up, eyes wide._

_Barry took a deep breath, burying her face in her hands. “I tried to fix everything, but I made a lot of things worse, and everyone was blaming me – they should have, I was selfish, I wanted to see my mom and dad alive again – ”_

_“You could time travel, and they blamed you for wanting to go back and save your mom and dad?” Laurel blinked. When Barry nodded miserably, she snorted loudly. “So everyone who blamed you would never think otherwise? That if they had a family member who died and they could time travel, they never thought that if they could time travel, they would think about saving them?”_

_Barry blinked rapidly, not expecting that turnaround. “Uh . . . ”_

“I _would,” Laurel muttered, a dark look in her eyes. “If I could go back and reverse the last conversation I had with my father . . . if I could stop him from going to get my birthday cake and getting in a car accident . . . I would do it without hesitation.” She looked up at Barry, whose mouth was opening and closing like a fish. “That’s why you forgot about me?” she narrowed her eyes. “Because you changed the timeline and when you came back, you were dealing with everyone else?”_

_Barry swallowed hard. “It’s not a good excuse, but by the time everything was figured out – ”_

_“Chase had already helped me escape?” Barry nodded sheepishly, and Laurel sighed, sliding down the wall behind her. “I forgive you,” she finally said._

_Barry reeled backwards._ “What?!”

 _“I forgive you,” Laurel looked up at him. “I’m not happy, I’m_ far _from happy . . . but I forgive you.”_

_Barry’s mouth shut with a click, and he swallowed, bowing his head. “Thank you, Laurel.”_

* * *

“That was really the adventure where we were all set up,” Oliver admitted. “Me and Kara, Alex and Slade, Barry and Laurel, Sara and Winn, Lena and Harry . . . Jax and Lily, even though they’re more tightly knit siblings.”

* * *

_The actions were small at best, though some spoke even louder than others._

_Oliver and Slade promising Alex they would get Kara back._

_Barry’s silent support of Laurel when the Earth-X Quentin Lance appeared._

_Barry helping Laurel stand when they were electrocuted by their collars._

_Slade protecting Alex when they ran to cover._

_Kara’s silence when Overgirl taunted her about being unloved though she loved someone back._

_Slade questioning Alex about if she would stop him if Oliver was the one held by Nazis instead of Kara, both of them vowing they would be right by the other._

_Harry’s protective questions for Lena when she was shoved into the pipeline by Dark Arrow._

_Slade defending Alex after she took the shot meant for Martin Stein._

_Oliver and Sara coming at once to Kara and Winn’s aid, Sara taking out the Nazis aiming for Winn as Oliver threatened his doppelgänger with Overgirl, Dark Arrow refusing to take a shot at Kara while his wife was in danger._

_Oliver’s and Slade’s protective vigils over Kara and Alex while they recovered, Winn and Lena close by as well with Sara and Harry occasionally checking in._

_Barry supporting Laurel when she revealed she had to kill the doppelgänger of her father, remembering how it had felt to see Joe’s Earth-2 doppelgänger die._

_Oliver and Kara standing side by side, flanked by Slade and Alex, as they refused to back down to Dark Arrow._

_Oliver facing Dark Arrow in one on one combat, Slade and Alex a wall between them and the fight between the heroes._

_Sara dueling the Nazis in a deadly dance, Winn occasionally calling out a warning she always thanked him for._

_Harry and Lena working together to pilot the_ Waverider _once Cisco left to rescue Caitlin, Amaya, and Zari._

_Laurel finding Barry after the Reverse Flash left, defending him from Nazis trying to sneak up on him._

_Oliver and Dark Arrow instantly finding Overgirl’s supernova in the sky, one worried for Supergirl, the other for the Nazi General._

_Oliver killing his doppelgänger with two simple words: “for Kara.”_

_All rushing to stop Kara’s descent as she plummeted from the sky, to be caught by Nate Heywood in the center of the battlefield._

_Oliver and Kara hugging each other gratefully after both survived their respective duels, Alex almost collapsing in relief against Slade._

_Laurel helping Barry say goodbye to Ray Terrill._

_The joy of seeing Jax and Lily merge for the first time with Martin watching proudly at his daughter and the young man he saw as a son._

_Sara cheekily telling Winn she would see him later before the Legends left, causing the techie to sputter, much to James’s and Alex’s amusement._

_Oliver, Slade, Barry, Harry, and Laurel saying goodbye to Kara, Alex, and Lena before they left for Earth-38._

* * *

“And that was just the start of it,” Kara swallowed. “Because then Reign showed up . . . and with her came the other Worldkillers while on Earth-1 came Cayden James, Ricardo Diaz, Clifford DeVoe, Mallus . . . we all found our support in each other. And that support made the difference with so many of us.”

* * *

_Alex’s panicked call to Team Arrow, Lena’s to Team Flash, and Winn’s to the Legends after Kara’s fall to Reign, desperate to save her life._

_The_ Waverider _arriving with a sputter, Cisco explaining rapidly he managed to attach an extrapolator to it before Nate and Ray got Kara to the medbay._

_Alex only letting her fears show before Slade, the Aussie her silent support._

_Winn’s panicked babbles as he tried to track down Reign, only silenced when Sara put a hand on his shoulder, and he collapsed in pure exhaustion, Sara dropping to help him._

_Laurel snarling and pacing like an animal caged, Barry watching her worriedly._

_Lena trying to work with James calmly at CatCo, aided by Harry, the two of them working together to try and keep peace where they could._

_Oliver never leaving Kara’s side, the first to volunteer when Sara suggested using the_ Waverider _to go inside Kara’s mind and help her wake up._

_Sara the first to volunteer to go with Kara to Fort Rozz while Alex was out of commission with a broken leg, Laurel second._

_Kara, Alex, and Winn standing with Oliver, Slade, John, Laurel, and Felicity when Team Arrow fractured._

_Lena occasionally lending a new point of view to Team Flash in the fight against Clifford DeVoe._

_Winn impressing Sara by setting up a link to the_ Waverider _for them to stay in better contact, always keeping an open ear, even when Sara admitted she had feelings for Ava._

_Kara protecting William during the showdown with Cayden James’s cabal, earning Oliver’s eternal gratitude for once again looking out for his son._

_Kara vouching for Evelyn after she turned coat against her former allies, Oliver watching William tentatively helping the older girl settle in._

_Laurel aiding Barry in his grief at the loss of Ralph Dibny._

_All three Earth-1 teams responding to Team Supergirl’s despair at discovering Samantha Arias was the Worldkiller Reign._

_Harry helping Lena attempt to separate Reign from Sam while the rest of the teams searched for Purity and Pestilence._

_The two other Worldkillers rescuing Reign, leaving Oliver, Laurel, Winn, and Alex poisoned in their wake._

_Slade and Sara turning Purity on Pestilence, giving Barry time to take Pestilence’s DNA to manufacture a cure, speeding away just before the Worldkillers killed each other._

_Winn and Alex waking seconds before death, Oliver and Laurel moments after, with Sara, Slade, Kara, and Barry refusing to leave them._

_Learning of the Black Kryptonite and taking it from Coville’s cult to separate Sam from Reign for good._

_Winn snapping Sara out of the Death Totem’s manipulations._

_The four teams taking a stand against Mallus with Sara wielding the Death Totem, Mick the Fire, Zari Air, Amaya Spirit, Wally Water, and Nate Earth._

_Winn congratulating Sara on not succumbing to the Death Totem, only to be stunned when she kissed him right on the mouth, earning pleased catcalls from Alex and James._

_Laurel loudly protesting when Marlize DeVoe said only one could go into DeVoe’s mind, saying Barry wasn’t going anywhere without her, thank you very much._

_Barry rambling profusely about thanking Laurel for how she helped him, only quieting when Laurel pulled a Sara and kissed him, effectively shutting him up._

_Curtis Holt, Rene Ramirez, and Dinah Drake reuniting with Team Arrow after Diaz assassinated Samantha Clayton._

_Kara scowling as Diaz all but damned Oliver before Alex, newly proclaimed Director of the D.E.O., remarked the agency could always use more agents or consultants, earning a stunned look from Oliver and a cheer from her sister._

_The four teams, forming the newly proclaimed Justice League, tearing every remnant of Diaz out of Star City root and stem, Sara politely asking the Time Bureau Director Sharpe to deal with the crime lord, the clone all too happy to do so._

_Oliver, William, Slade, Thea, and Roy Harper all moving to Earth-38, leaving Star City in the capable hands of John Diggle and the rest of Team Arrow._

* * *

Mon-El was silent at the end of the story, then looked up at Sam. “You aren’t what I think of when I think of a Worldkiller.”

“Just a Kryptonian now,” Sam shrugged, smiling shyly. “Kara’s been a great teacher.”

“And since then?” Mon-El asked Kara.

“Oh, tons of enemies,” Kara waved it off. “Manchester Black, the Elite . . . ”

“Oliver’s half-sister, a group called the Ninth Circle,” John continued.

“Cicada,” Barry mused.

“Neron,” Sara hummed. “Astra.”

Oliver’s eyes darkened. “The Monitor.”

Barry made a face at the name. “John Deegan.”

Kara stuck her tongue out. “Who became an evil Superman.”

 _“What?”_ Mon-El gawked.

“And switched us with each other,” Sara nodded. “Let me tell you, waking up in bed with Barry? Not fun. No offense, Barry.”

“As long as you don’t take offense the same way,” the speedster shrugged.

“I woke up with Winn, who’s like my brother!” Kara protested.

“And the doppelgänger of your sister, my ex-girlfriend!” Oliver scowled.

“Basically, it was a mess,” Slade sighed.

“Not as big a mess like this was,” Caitlin whispered.

Mick growled low in his throat as Martin shook his head. “This was unbelievable.”

Mon-El swallowed hard. “What happened?”

Kara ducked her head, and Mon-El could feel the temperature drop as she tentatively described how after she married Oliver, Cadmus, led by Lillian Luthor, became more anti-alien and became more prominent in National City. He listened as she described Ben Lockwood, who became the leader of the Children of Liberty, joining forces with Cadmus to protest the Alien Amnesty Act. He learned of the Graves siblings exposing President Marsdin to the world, leading to her resignation and Vice President Baker’s rise to power.

Baker, Lockwood, and Cadmus working together led to sowing seeds of discord throughout the nation and even worldwide, turning the public against Supergirl, Superman, and the aliens that protected their world. That turned into the public even turning against the heroes who supported their alien comrades . . . and that was before Lex Luthor escaped from prison, and everything turned upside down.

Mon-El almost wanted to cover his ears so he couldn’t hear about Lex’s plan to use a clone of Supergirl to put himself in the spotlight, making it appear like he stopped the “rogue superheroine” from attacking with a terrorist cell from Kasnia. He found it lucky that Winn, Felicity, and Cisco had fought to reveal Lex’s plans to the entire world, surpassing the corrupt president and going straight to the public. Soon it was Lex’s head everyone was calling for, and with that, Lex seemed to snap and went to war with the Justice League itself.

“And you saw how that ended,” Kara finished with a sigh.

“We have a lot to clean up,” Alex nodded.

“Wow,” Mon-El blew out his breath in a rush. “I can’t believe that happened . . . I’m sorry, Kara.”

“There’s nothing you could have done,” she shook her head.

 _I could have woken up earlier,_ he thought. _I could have come back sooner._

But before he could voice any of his thoughts, he heard the door to the apartment open, and the teasing voice of a young man and the excited squeal of a young girl made his mouth shut with a click, and he turned around to see a blonde girl no older than four speed into the room – and she did indeed speed, making Mon-El blink. Then Kara was laughing and hugging the girl, lifting her off the ground and into her lap. “We didn’t expect you back so soon, Mia!” she tapped the girl on her nose, making her giggle.

“Sorry,” a dark-haired young man smiled sheepishly as he took off his leather jacket, moving to hang it up and revealing the three other women with him. “But Ruby finished her evening class early.”

“Hey, Rubes,” Sam smiled, standing up and moving to hug the brunette young woman with a similar style to her. “How’d it go?”

“I’m wondering how you ever survive in business,” Ruby gave her a hug. “Hey, Aunt Alex. Hey, Aunt Kara.”

“And Z was around, too, so,” the young man shrugged, gesturing to the black-haired young woman his age.

“Dad said he was still at the D.E.O.,” she waved. “Will said I could hang around.”

“That’s fine, Zoe,” Oliver assured her, standing up and moving towards the oldest of the group, a dark-haired young woman in her twenties. “Thanks for watching her, Evelyn.”

“Oh, no problem,” she smiled, giving Oliver a hug; with a start, Mon-El realized this was Evelyn Sharp, also known as Artemis. “I just want a go at the bastard before he rots for life.”

“Language,” Sara pointed at the girl Kara was holding.

Will snorted, walking over and giving Kara a hug around the shoulders before ruffling the blonde girl’s hair, making her squeal. “Nice try, Aunt Sara.” He finally realized there was someone he didn’t know in the room, and he frowned. “You look . . . sort of familiar.”

“William, this is Mon-El,” Kara introduced.

He frowned, scratching his head. “The Daxamite prince?”

“That’s him,” Kara nodded. “Mon-El, this is Oliver’s son, William Clayton. That’s Sam’s daughter, Ruby, over there – ” The brunette young woman waved. “William’s best friend, Zoe Ramirez – ” The black-haired woman merely nodded. “Evelyn Sharp, our adopted daughter – ” The female archer considered Mon-El curiously. “And this,” she curled her arms around the blonde girl, “is William’s half-sister and our daughter, Moira Queen, Mia for short.”

Mon-El swallowed around the lump in his throat. “She’s beautiful,” he said quietly, the girl peering at him with Oliver’s green eyes. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Oliver nodded, Thea scooting over so Evelyn could sit by Oliver, William and Zoe perching themselves at the kitchen counter.

Alex’s phone suddenly chirped, along with Oliver’s, Kara’s, Barry’s, and Sara’s. All of them took a look, and Alex sighed, standing up. “The military’s coming in to take Lex Luthor to prison. I need to get down there.”

“We all should,” Sara got to her feet, stretching. “Strength in numbers.”

“Does that mean I get to punch him?” Evelyn asked hopefully.

Oliver barked out a laugh. “Not likely.”

“Hopefully this won’t take too long,” Kara smiled at William as he hopped down to walk over and take his little sister.

“Take what time you need,” William grinned at Mia. “I’ve got Mia.”

Kara walked up to Mon-El as everyone else started filing out of the loft. “Sorry about this.”

“Luthor’s the priority,” Mon-El shook his head. “He needs to be dealt with.”

* * *

Mon-El could feel the tension in the D.E.O. as he, Imra, and Brainy watched from an upper level as the Armed Forces came to retrieve Lex Luthor from the D.E.O. All four teams that comprised the Justice League were in full uniform, including Alex in her vigilante gear. It was Kara and Clark who completed the transfer, Kara locking eyes with the female Marine who had been in charge. She set her jaw, then offered a crisp salute to the Kryptonians, which both returned with the salute Kara had given Mon-El’s mother before trial by combat. It seemed to be enough for the Marine colonel, who did a perfect about face and left after her men.

It was a blond man in a trench coat in the ranks of the Legends who snorted and muttered, “About bloody time,” Ray choking and the dark-haired woman in black between snickering.

“Is it really over?” Imra asked quietly, looking at Mon-El as everything seemed to settle.

Mon-El swallowed, watching Kara take a deep breath and turn to speak with Alex, Clark, and J’onn. “I think so,” he said, looking at Sam, whose arms were crossed as she stood with Lena.

* * *

He later stood with Kara as Imra and Brainy completed final checks of the Legion cruiser, the Justice League’s workers lending a hand. “This was probably difficult for you,” Kara finally said.

Mon-El sighed, scratching the back of his head. “Well, the 31st century took some getting used to. I don’t think I got the 21st out of my system completely before we were heading back.”

Kara shook her head silently. “I mean with the seven years.”

Mon-El closed his eyes. “It was something,” he admitted. “But you’re happy. All of you are. You even have a daughter of your own.” He swallowed hard. “It was a bit difficult . . . but that’s how time worked, I guess.”

“Barry and Sara are right,” Kara sighed. “Time travel _is_ a bitch.”

“Speaking from experience?”

“Well, we were in the Wild West when we faced Mallus, so . . . ”

Mon-El chuckled, watching Brainy nod in satisfaction as he checked the engines. “I think that means we’re about ready.”

Kara cracked a grin. “Back to the future.”

“OK, that’s bad,” Mon-El grinned widely.

“It was bad,” she agreed with a giggle, turning to face him. Her grin turned more somber, and she cleared her throat. “I think the future’s in good hands with the three of you. And the rest of the Legion, those who didn’t wake up.”

Mon-El bowed his head. “Thank you, Kara,” he told her, holding out his hand.

Kara bypassed the handshake and went right for a hug. “Just take care of yourself,” she said quietly.

“I will,” he nodded, squeezing her tightly before backing away. He turned to face Oliver, who had only been a few paces away, and extended his hand to the archer. “Keep looking out for her,” he said.

“The ones I need to look out for are the ones who get in her way,” Oliver shook his head, but he shook his hand anyway. “I always will, though.”

Mon-El nodded, joining Imra by Brainy’s chair as he fired up the engines. He turned to see Cisco open a breach, and he swallowed again, seeing Oliver take Kara’s hand as they went through, Slade pressing a kiss to Alex’s head as they followed, Winn and James giving him a quick wave, Barry sending him a small salute.

And when everyone was gone, Mon-El could still feel the presence of the Justice League linger, as if keeping an invisible eye on him and a silent message. _Prove her right._

 _I will,_ Mon-El promised silently as Brainy piloted the cruiser back to the stars. Maybe seven months hadn’t been enough time for him to change, but Kara had, yet she still had faith in him being a hero. _I won’t let her down._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I made this more complicated than I should have. Hopefully it was still enjoyable, though!
> 
> If you wish to request, please keep in mind I do not do anything rated M or higher, and the more a prompt sticks closer to the TV shows, the more likely it is I can succeed with your prompt. I can also do extensions of prompts (a sequel or so) if you would like to request (i.e. further in the season for the DeathSiren chapters). Main pairings are Emerald Steel, Scarlet Canary, DeathSiren, and DarkSiren, but if another crackship pairing/rare pair is one you would like to see me try and incorporate, let me know.
> 
>  _Next time from gammaxmen:_ What about a prompt about Sara meeting Future Barry in the future where Iris dies, murdered by Savitar?
> 
> OK, I really mean it this time - this _will_ be the next prompt I do because otherwise I'll keep putting it off, and I really want to do this.


	9. Scarlet Canary ~ Central City 2024

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prompt from gammaxmen:_ What about a prompt about Sara meeting Future Barry in the future where Iris dies, murdered by Savitar?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we finally are. It took me months, but I finally did it. Over 6.8K words, and I hope it's worth the long wait.
> 
> Also, apparently since a lot of people have started shipping Danson (Slade/Alex) since the last one-shot and since I updated "To Life Being Full," I'm adding them to the list of pairs I'll write for. So, if there's a scenario you want to see for them, you can always request! And to all of you who have left your requests, thank you so much - they've all been put in my master list of requests!
> 
> The future scenes take place during The Flash 3x19 "The Once and Future Flash," but for Team Flash, it's right after the Grodd arc, so recognizable content is from The Flash 3x14 "Attack on Central City." For Sara, it's after Legends of Tomorrow 2x13 "Land of the Lost."
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own the Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, or any of the DC shows and their characters. They belong to the CW and their writers.

So first the _Waverider_ crashed in the past, then the jumpship decided to crash after Sara made sure it was still in good condition. _Perfect._

She groaned, rubbing her forehead and hearing alarms beep. “Gideon?” she called, then shook out her head when it rang. She pushed up on the harness she was in, managing to get to her feet. “Gideon!” she tried again.

_“I’m here, Captain,”_ the female voice said, and Sara sighed in relief, leaning against her chair as she tried to get her bearings. _“Are you all right?”_

“Yeah, Gideon, I’m fine,” Sara rubbed her temples. “How’s the jumpship?”

_“I’m running diagnostics now. However, it would be best to leave the jumpship be while I calculate what repairs will need to commence.”_

“And while the _Waverider_ is called?” Sara smirked.

_“Precisely.”_

“Well, you know the ship better than me, Gideon,” Sara shrugged. “Have at it. Mind telling me where we are first, though?”

_“I believe we are in Central City, February 3, 2024.”_

“Central City?” Sara perked up, smiling. “Hey, Gideon, can you tell how far from S.T.A.R. Labs we are? Or whose place is closest to where we are?”

_“Barry Allen’s apartment is a few blocks into the city,”_ Gideon answered.

“Great, give me an address,” Sara took out her phone and picking up her duffel bag, glad she had packed a few items if she needed them. “And let me know when the jumpship is fixed, OK?”

_“Captain – ”_

“Please, Gideon?” Sara looked at the console.

_“Very well, Captain. I will inform you when we are ready to leave 2024.”_

“You’re the best, Gideon,” Sara smiled, lowering the ramp and heading out into the blustery weather of Central City.

* * *

Sara counted the building numbers as she walked through Central City, keeping her head down under the fedora she put on. She finally found the number she was looking for, then blinked and looked up at the shattered windows in the building. “Here?” she whispered in disbelief, then opened the door to the building and rushed inside.

She took the stairs two at a time until she reached the correct floor, and when she reached the apartment Gideon had given her, she tried the door handle as hard as she could. She eventually wrenched hard enough to force the door open, and when she got inside, her eyes widened in shock.

Dust covered every aspect of the apartment, and Sara let her bag drop as she stared in horror. “Oh, my God,” she mouthed, unable to say anything as she walked forward and looked around at broken furniture and piles of leaves on the floor. She froze when she felt something begin to crack under her feet, and she slowly dropped down into a crouch, brushing wood aside. She swallowed hard when she found a picture of Joe and Iris West, the frame and glass relatively unharmed. She was lucky she had just stepped on the broken stool leg.

“Sara Lance?”

Sara’s head shot up, and she looked behind her to see another familiar face in worn clothes, his hair pulled back in a messy bun. “Cisco?” she asked in surprise, rising from the floor.

“Sara Lance,” Cisco repeated, looking her up and down as he walked forward. “Man, it has been . . . a long time.”

“Seven years?” Sara guessed, smiling sheepishly.

“Something like that,” Cisco nodded. “You know, no one expected a face like yours to show up here again.”

“Why not?” Sara frowned.

Cisco blinked, then his eyes widened. “Oh, my eyes,” he smacked himself in the forehead. “It’s been seven years since I saw you, so I have no idea what you _should_ look like . . . but you look just like you did then. You’re from the past, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Sara nodded. “2017, actually. I last saw you when the Dominators arrived.”

Cisco’s smile faded. “So you have no idea what’s been going on, do you?”

“Should I?” Sara asked in confusion.

Cisco blinked again. “You mean . . . your surprise was _genuine?”_

“What surprise?” Sara scowled, getting frustrated. “Cisco, you’re not making any sense! What happened to Barry and Iris? And how did you know I was _here?”_

“Hoo boy,” Cisco gulped. “I, uh . . . ” He sighed. “You need to talk to Barry. If you can get him to listen, that is.”

* * *

“So S.T.A.R. Labs was _shut down?”_ Sara looked around the darkened building in disbelief. “Barry shut it down?”

“He shut everything down,” Cisco nodded. “S.T.A.R. Labs, Team Flash. He didn’t want us around, so he pushed us away.”

“Why?” Sara asked, looking at Cisco. “What happened?”

“He said it was because of what we represented,” Cisco answered. “That we were a constant reminder to him of what he lost. But he wasn’t the only one who lost something.”

“So the entire team is . . . what, gone?” Sara asked as they stopped in front of the elevator. “Barry, you, Caitlin, Iris, Joe, Wally, whatever Wells you’re on now?”

Cisco cringed with each added name. “Some of us are more gone than others.”

“You said the last time you saw me was in 2017,” Sara frowned. “Is that when all of this happened?”

“It’s when it all began,” Cisco nodded, leading her into the elevator. “We thought the Legends might be able to help us.”

“Surely we did,” Sara furrowed her eyebrows. Cisco merely pressed a button, and Sara’s eyes widened. “Cisco, tell me we helped!”

“There’s a reason none of the Legends have ever been welcome in Central City,” was all Cisco said.

Sara balked, but before she could say anything, the elevator doors slid open, and Cisco held out a hand to let her get out. Sara carefully did, looking around the dark hallway. “And this is where I’ll find Barry?” she asked.

“He never leaves,” Cisco nodded.

Sara frowned, looking at him. “Can’t you tell me where to look?”

“I’ve done enough,” Cisco said. “I shouldn’t have even brought you here.” Sara frowned, but Cisco held out his hand, stopping the doors from closing. “Look, talk to Barry, see if he’ll tell you what happened. Maybe you can finally be here for the Flash when your team wasn’t.”

Sara opened her mouth to protest, but the doors slid shut before she could even begin.

* * *

Sara swore she heard a bat fly through the room when she walked into the darkened area, and she walked up to a covered board, and she whipped the cloth off, frowning at the words written on it. “Music Meister gets six-figure book deal,” she read, reading down the line. “Luigi’s opens after murder . . . Joe West honored at City Hall, nice job, Joe . . . Killer Frost still at large . . . S.T.A.R. Labs museum closes . . . city still recovering following gorilla attack?” she raised an eyebrow, tilting her head and looking at the crossed-out words. “What _is_ this?”

“Why are you here?” a cold, defeated voice behind her said.

Sara turned around, reaching for one of her knives, then squinted, trying to see the silhouetted figure. She finally realized who it was, and she took a deep breath. “To see you, Barry.”

“Why now?” Barry asked as he stepped into the dim light, revealing he was dressed in all black and his hair was long and greasy. “Why after all this time? _Now_ you care?”

“I never didn’t, Barry,” Sara shook her head.

“You have some nerve to say that seven years later when I told you never to come back!” Barry snapped.

“It hasn’t _been_ seven years, Barry!” Sara snapped back, stepping closer. “I’m from 2017!”

Barry stopped in his tracks, looking long and hard at her. “You’re from before she dies, aren’t you?”

“Before _who_ dies?” Sara scowled.

Barry set his jaw. “You don’t even know.” He sniffed. “Doesn’t matter,” he shook his head, turning around to leave. “You can’t save her.”

“Save _who?”_ Sara shouted. “Tell me who I can’t save, and I’ll make sure we do!”

“Oh, but the almighty time traveling captain says we can’t mess with time,” Barry glared back at her. “The minute I tell you who it is, you can’t do a single thing.”

“Yes, I can!” Sara clenched her hand in a fist. “I’m from 2017, Barry. Whoever’s died hasn’t died yet.”

“It doesn’t matter what you do,” Barry huffed. “You’ll refuse to help. You did when we tried to ask before. We asked time and time again, and what did you do? Nothing. Not even a single reply. You were too busy caring about the rest of the timeline that you didn’t help a few teammates when we needed you!”

“Then why don’t you let me help now?” Sara challenged.

“Because Iris will still die!” Barry finally yelled, and Sara staggered backwards, eyes wide. “Whatever you do, Savitar will still kill her, and everything we try to do will be for nothing.” He narrowed his eyes. “So go home, Sara. Go home and deal with whatever aberration is more important than helping us. And don’t come back to Central City again.”

Sara was left gawking at Barry as he turned on his heel and stalked off. _“Iris?”_ she repeated, her voice wavering as she put a hand over her mouth.

_Iris_ was the one who died?

* * *

“Gideon, status on the jumpship,” Sara said to her phone as she walked up to Cisco.

_“Still a few hours, Captain,”_ Gideon answered.

“OK,” Sara took a deep breath, rubbing her forehead. “OK, Cisco, how did I screw up? How did my team and I screw up? Barry made it sound pretty clear we apparently did nothing.”

“That’s just it,” Cisco shook his head. “Every time we asked the Legends for help, you didn’t say a single thing in response. Oliver was dealing with Prometheus, and by the time Savitar became a real threat, Kara was dealing with a Daxamite invasion in National City. The Legends were the only option we had, and you never even gave us an explanation about why you couldn’t help.”

“That doesn’t sound like us,” Sara said uneasily.

“Well, you sure ripped into Barry about changing time before,” Cisco snorted.

Sara sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You know what? Screw it.” She folded her arms and turned to Cisco. “Tell me everything I need to know to make a difference. What’s happened in seven years?”

* * *

Sara’s mind was going miles a minute as she followed Cisco. There was . . . a lot she had to fix.

Cisco’s hands and powers. Keeping Iris from dying. Finding out who Savitar is. Wally and Joe.

And, she looked up when Cisco stopped, why they were here watching a blonde man in a lab coat dump food into a trash bin. He looked up, and he sighed when he saw Cisco. “It’s been a while, Cisco.” He frowned, trying to look past him. “And . . . ?”

“Julian Albert,” Cisco turned and gestured, and Sara stepped forward into the light. “Meet Captain Sara Lance.”

“The White Canary,” Julian nodded slowly. “I thought the Legends were told never to return to Central City.”

“Well, we didn’t get that memo back in 2017,” Sara countered.

Julian stiffened. “2017,” he repeated. “The year it all began.” He sighed, turning back to his monitors. “I assume you’re here for some answers, then, are you?”

“Something like that,” Sara walked forward.

Julian snorted, looking at Cisco. “Well, you brought her to the wrong place, mate.”

“She wanted to know,” Cisco shrugged.

“Julian,” Sara looked at him. “I need to see her. I need to see what happened because we didn’t do anything.”

* * *

“I tried to find her something more humane,” Julian pressed a button, sliding blast doors back, “but this is the best I could do.”

Sara nodded, stepping forward and looking through the glass door. “Caitlin?” she asked; she could see in the back corner of the cell, a silver-white-haired head looked up. “It’s me.”

“Sara Lance,” Killer Frost said slowly, turning towards her.

Sara hid a shudder as best she could; the freezing tone and reverberation of her voice was unnerving. “I’m – ”

“From the past,” Killer Frost tilted her head. “I can tell. It’s hard to, though. But you don’t have as much regret in your eyes yet.” Sara flinched, and Killer Frost smirked. “So, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit? Come to see how things turn out for Team Flash?”

“I wanted to see what happened to you,” Sara answered. “Cisco told me.”

“And what do you think?” Killer Frost sneered. “Impressed?”

“No,” Sara shook her head. “I’m not.”

“Too bad,” Killer Frost sniffed. “You should be. I’m glad this happened to me.”

“Sounds like Caitlin wasn’t,” Sara said, watching Killer Frost turn away. “So when I go back to the past, I’m gonna help. You won’t become this. And Savitar isn’t gonna get his hands on you.”

Killer Frost turned around, narrowing her eyes. “So you told her.” Cisco nodded, and Killer Frost snorted. “No more secrets, then, huh?” She walked forward, smirking at Sara. “We made one hell of a team.”

“Why did you help him?” Sara asked.

“Because he gave me the thing that the Flash couldn’t,” Killer Frost answered. “The cure to my illness, embracing who I really am.”

Sara’s eyes flashed. “And you know who he is.” Killer Frost blinked, but her face settled in a mask, and Sara leaned forward, narrowing her eyes. “Tell me who he is.”

“I’ll _never_ tell,” Killer Frost said smugly, and Sara gritted her teeth in annoyance. “You are gonna be _so_ surprised when you find out.” Killer Frost turned around. “You know, I think the Flash’s protégé went toe-to-toe with Savitar,” she said nonchalantly. “Maybe _he_ can help you out.”

Sara swallowed, looking at Cisco. “Is there _any_ chance of getting something from Wally?”

* * *

Wally stared at nothing as Sara quietly approached. “Wally?” she asked quietly, crouching down and softly putting a hand on his arm. “It’s Sara. Can you hear me?” Wally didn’t respond at all, and Sara closed her eyes, bowing her head. “Cisco?” she asked, her voice breaking.

He understood the question she couldn’t ask. “Iris died, and that sent him into this rage. And, uh . . . he went after Savitar by himself one night. Joe found him the next day with a shattered spine. No one knows what he saw that night, but whatever it was, he’s been like this ever since.”

Sara shook her head bitterly. “Where’s Joe?” she asked.

“Well, he’s not here,” Cisco looked around. “Which means there’s only one other place he can be.”

* * *

Sara had visited the Central City graveyard before, but she felt a pit in her stomach she had never felt when she visited before. She fiddled with the petals of the wreath she had gotten, then looked at the grave she stopped in front of, blowing out her breath in a rush. “I still can’t believe this, Iris,” she whispered, crouching down and arranging the wreath at the bottom of Iris’s headstone. “This future, what happened to the team . . . ” She set her jaw. “When I leave, I’m gonna go right to Central City,” she promised. “I’m gonna be there for you and Barry.” She sighed, putting her head in her hand. “You didn’t deserve this.”

“You have some nerve showing up here, Lance.”

Sara stiffened, then slowly got to her feet and turned around, bracing herself when she saw the anger in the man’s eyes. “Hello, Joe.”

“Why are you here, Lance?” Joe snapped.

“I needed to see what I did,” Sara answered, biting her lip. “And I needed to see you. I needed to see everyone. I needed to know.”

_“Now_ you want to know?” Joe asked angrily. “After all this time, now?”

“I’m from 2017, Joe,” Sara told him, stopping Joe’s tirade in his tracks. “So yeah, I need to know what I get so wrong for _this_ to be the future of Central City.” She walked forward, putting her hands in her jacket pockets so he wouldn’t see her shaking hands. “Please,” she whispered. “I need to know. What happened with you after she died?”

Joe flinched and looked down at the flowers he held. “My daughter’s life was taken,” he answered. “My son’s. And then Barry left me. The last piece of who I was left, turned his back and ran away. He wasn’t there for me.”

Sara closed her eyes, looking down. “I’m sorry, Joe,” she whispered.

“I know you chewed Barry out for time traveling before, Sara,” Joe told her. “But if there is anything you can do . . . please, give me my family back.”

Sara nodded, looking back up. “I’ll do what I can, Joe. I promise.”

Joe nodded, and as Sara walked back towards S.T.A.R. Labs, Joe approached Iris’s grave, smiling at the wreath Sara left before emptying the vase of dead flowers and putting the fresh ones in.

* * *

Sara looked along the wall at S.T.A.R. Labs, then pressed where Cisco had told her to. The wall melted away, and she walked into what was called the time vault. There, she found Barry against the wall and a hologram picture of him and Iris hovering in the air. “You want to mope? Fine,” she said angrily, folding her arms and watching him move to turn the hologram off. “But I want to hear why you became who you are right now. How you became someone who abandoned Joe, who abandoned _everyone._ I want your side of the story, Barry.”

“You mean you care?” Barry scowled.

“Of course I care!” Sara protested.

“You didn’t,” Barry glared at her. “You _won’t.”_

“I’m here now, and I care now,” Sara stormed forward, pointing at him. “And I _will_ care when I go back to 2017. So give me answers!”

“You want answers?” Barry narrowed his eyes. “How’s this? You will go back. But when I call for help, you won’t answer. You’ll be too caught up with your little Spear of Destiny and Legion of Doom to drop out of the time stream for just a little bit to help. I will do everything that I can think of to save her. I’m even gonna create time remnants of myself, but he’s gonna kill them all, mostly. And then on the night of May 23rd, Iris West will die in my arms. And in that moment that she takes her last breath, it’ll feel like an eternity. And it will break me. She’s the light of my life, Sara. She _was_ the light of my life. There’ll be nothing left at all but stopping Savitar. So no, I Won’t be there for Joe. I won’t be there when Caitlin becomes Killer Frost, when Savitar destroys Wally. I won’t be there for any of them. But then one day, I’ll stop him. I’ll lock him in the Speed Force forever, but at that point, he already won because everything that I’d ever loved is gone, including me.”

Sara swallowed hard. “So why didn’t you try to find us?” she whispered.

Barry scoffed. “You nailed me so hard about time traveling and changing time before. Why would I want to risk you chewing me out again?”

“You were calling us to change time in the first place!”

“I was a desperate man, Sara!” Barry yelled. “A desperate man who would do _anything_ to save Iris, but none of you ever showed! And you _won’t_ show again.”

“How do you know?” Sara challenged. “Or did you lose that much hope already?”

Barry shook his head, chuckling bitterly. “I lost my hope when Iris died.”

Sara set her jaw. “So the Flash gave up.” She shook her head, turning around. “All right, Barry. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

“What’re you gonna do?” Barry scoffed.

“You want me to prove I’m gonna do something?” Sara picked up her duffel bag and unzipped it, showing Barry the white clothing inside. “I’ll do your job for you.” She took her phone out of her pocket. “Gideon?”

_“Yes, Captain?”_ Gideon’s voice chimed over the phone.

“Find the current contact information for Julian Albert, Joe West, and H.R. Wells,” Sara answered, turning and walking out of the time vault, leaving a stunned Barry behind her. “There’s an emergency at S.T.A.R. Labs.”

* * *

Cisco looked up from his computer, and he blinked rapidly when he saw Sara striding into the cortex, pulling her gloves on. “Whoa, why are you dressed like you’re about to kick Barry’s ass?”

“I’m not gonna kick Barry’s ass,” Sara sniffed. “I’m gonna give him a metaphorical kick in the ass.”

“Um,” Cisco blinked again. “Come again?”

“Barry gave everything up when Iris died and seems convinced that even though I’m here, seeing everything I did wrong, I’m not gonna get up off my ass and help him when I get back to 2017,” Sara answered. “Well, I’m getting up off my ass now. So who do I need to go after to show him that?”

Before Cisco could answer, there was chatter from behind them. “ – hell is going on?” Joe’s voice asked.

“I would like to know the very same thing!” a hyper Wells voice answered. “I was about to check one of the most important boxes a man can check in his life! And who – who called us here?”

_“I_ called you all here,” Sara answered, folding her arms.

Julian blinked as he entered the cortex, then sighed. “Oh, it’s you again.”

“Sara,” Joe looked just as confused.

“But I thought the Legends were – ” H.R. began.

“She’s from the past, H.R.,” Julian explained. “2017, to be precise.”

“Look,” Sara stepped forward, looking at the three men. “Cisco told me – or showed me – that you all haven’t been a team in a long time, and I can’t speak for whatever my past self and past team did that led us to not helping you, but I’m sorry for it regardless. I needed to see what happened to all of you, and now that I have, I’m going to make this promise to you here and now. When I get back to 2017, I am not going to abandon you or Barry. I’m going to do whatever I can to help stop Savitar. I’m going to do whatever I can to stop Iris from dying.”

Joe swallowed hard, tears in his eyes, but before he could reply, Cisco’s phone rapidly started beeping, and he pulled it out, eyes wide. “What’s that?” Julian frowned.

“It’s a metahuman app,” Cisco answered, gulping. “Mirror Master and Top are at it again.”

“Mirror Master and Top?” Sara parroted, frowning. “What can they do?”

“Travel through mirrors and induce crippling vertigo,” he replied at once.

Sara quirked an eyebrow. “So I should be quick enough and go for knockout blows. Got it.”

“Wait, you’re going after them?” Joe raised an eyebrow. “Alone?”

Sara shrugged. “Like I told Cisco, Barry seems to think I’m not gonna get up off my ass and help. I’m going to. I can at least do something for him.” She looked around the room. “I wouldn’t mind having a few extra voices in my ear, though.”

“Guys, we have a chance to put some hope back into our lives,” Cisco smiled weakly. “And I . . . I really need it right now. I think you do, too.”

The three other men exchanged looks. “So, what do you say?” Sara raised an eyebrow. “Can I have Team Flash back me up on this?”

H.R. was the first to smile and put his hand out. “Team Flash.”

Cisco beamed and put his hand on next, and though Sara rolled her eyes, she put her hand on Cisco’s. “Team Flash,” Julian confirmed, putting his hand on next.

Joe was the last one, and H.R. grinned. “On three? One, two – ”

They threw their hands up in the air, and Sara cracked her knuckles. “All right, boys,” she headed for the exit, catching the comms device Cisco tossed to her. “See you on the other side.”

* * *

“Thieves,” Sara scoffed to herself as she watched Mirror Master and Top, or Sam Scudder and Rosa Dillon, walk out of the jewelry store they just robbed. “They’re always thieves.”

“They used to run with Snart, actually,” Cisco remarked.

“Of course they did,” Sara sighed, running along the roof to follow them.

“Baby, you’re a rock star,” Scudder said fondly.

“Just like to shine for my man,” Dillon smiled sweetly.

Sara rolled her eyes and pretended to gag before she dropped down behind the two. “Really?” she asked, resting the end of her bo staff on the ground, watching the two whip around. “Looking tacky from over here. Though, I guess I’m a bit old-fashioned.”

“The White Canary,” Dillon sneered, narrowing her eyes. “We said no heroes allowed.”

“And I say screw you,” Sara smirked, delighting in the fury in Dillon’s eyes.

“Oh, she went there,” Cisco cackled.

“I take it you guys can hear me?” Sara grinned.

“Yeah, Sara, I can hear you loud and clear,” Joe answered.

“Man, it’s good to be back!” Cisco whooped.

“You should do as you’re told, Canary,” Scudder narrowed his eyes. “It’s two versus one. Odds aren’t in your favor.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Sara nodded seriously. “You guys want backup? I’ll wait.”

Scudder sneered, dropping his back on the ground. “Give her a little ride.”

Dillon grinned, dropping her bag as well. “With pleasure.”

Sara averted her eyes when she saw Dillon focus on her, and with her other hand, she took one of the throwing stars on her belt. She found herself looking down at a puddle of water on the ground, and suddenly, the building that had been feet away was suddenly looming over her. Sara gasped, spinning to look above her, only to find the building careening down towards her. “What the – ” she bent backwards, trying to get away, only to realize everything around her was twisting . . . almost like she was in a mirror. “Guys!” she shouted. “They’re doing something!”

* * *

“She can’t move,” H.R. gulped.

“They’re using their powers at the same time,” Cisco nodded, realizing what it was.

“What are we gonna do?” Julian asked.

Cisco tapped anxiously on the table, then pointed at H.R. “Give me that thing in your hands.” H.R. looked down, then extended the hand with a drumstick in it. “The other thing,” Cisco rolled his eyes.

H.R. nodded, then handed the device over. “That makes more sense.”

“I can rejigger this to mimic the resonance fields from Scudder’s portals, make it so Sara can manipulate the mirrors,” Cisco said, attaching the device to his computer and typing away.

“But what about Top?” Joe asked.

“This will also restore whatever rarefaction effect she’s causing,” Cisco answered.

“Yes, that’s brilliant!” Julian grinned, then it disappeared. “But without opening another breach, how can we possibly get it into her hands in time?”

Cisco blinked, trying to think of a way himself. “I’ll take it to her,” a voice behind him said, and Cisco whirled around to see Barry step forward, a grim but determined look on his face. “I saw what you were doing from the time vault,” he explained. “You need help. Sara needs help out of something I kind of got her into. Give it to me.”

Cisco set his jaw, then took the device from his computer and launched it at Barry, who caught it one-handedly with ease. “Go,” he said.

Barry nodded, looking around at the team before zooming off.

* * *

Sara grimaced, watching the building come down closer to her, then found herself pulled off her feet and yanked away. She landed on her stomach, much more carefully than she thought she would have fallen, then looked up when she saw red booted feet in front of her. She lifted her head up the rest of the way, her eyes widening as she took in the Flash in front of her, in a sleek red suit with gold piping and lightning designs. “Thought I should get up off my ass,” he told her, holding up a circular device and pressing it. Everything around Sara settled back to normal, and she looked around before up at Barry as he walked over to her. “Cisco made it,” he said, extending his hand to her. “Now her powers won’t affect us.” He looked up at Scudder and smirked. “We can go anywhere he does.”

Sara grinned, taking his hand and letting him help her to her feet. She turned back around, whipping her bo staff and settling it on her shoulder. “You were saying about the odds?” she taunted.

“Go,” Scudder hissed. “Go!”

It was very comical watching Dillon attempt to run in high heels, and Sara rolled her eyes. “Man, this is gonna be too easy.”

Barry actually laughed, then pointed after Scudder. “You mind?”

“Oh, by all means,” Sara gestured him ahead of her. “I’m gonna see if I can catch up to his girlfriend.” Barry grinned and sped off after Scudder, and Sara ran off after Dillon. It was painfully easy to catch up to her and pounce on her, tackling her to the ground, making her squeal. “Oh, please,” Sara scoffed, taking the dampening cuffs she had gotten from Team Flash and fastening them on Dillon. “If you try to be a criminal, at least try to take a little pain, will you?”

By the time they made back to where they had come from, Barry and Scudder came crashing out of one of the windows, Barry landing on his feet, Scudder collapsing on the asphalt with dampening cuffs on. “Gotcha,” the speedster declared.

Sara smiled proudly, nodding at Barry in relief.

* * *

_“In a bizarre twist, and the first sighting in years, eyewitnesses claim not only did the White Canary return to Central City, but also the Scarlet Speedster were responsible for apprehending Sam Scudder and Rosalind Dillon, aka Mirror Master and Top,”_ the news anchor on TV said as everyone in S.T.A.R. Labs watched. _“I’m sure I speak for all residents of Central City when I say this: Flash and White Canary, if you’re watching, it’s good to see you again.”_

“Ladies and gentlemen, Team Flash, back at it again!” Cisco whooped, turning the TV off.

“Yeah!” H.R. cheered, clapping Cisco on the back.

“Yeah, I think this was a good first step, Cisco,” Barry nodded, “but yeah, we have a ways to go, especially me. Iris wouldn’t have wanted this,” he looked around. “She would have wanted us to stay a family. I broke that promise to her to all of you. And Sara,” he looked at her. “You were right, too. I gave up after she died. I shouldn’t have done that. By doing that, even though Savitar’s gone, I was still letting him win. I was wrong to do that. And I was wrong to keep blaming you.”

“I don’t know what my past self was thinking, but I’d punch her in the face if I saw her,” Sara told him. “I’m gonna be there for you when I go back, Barry. That’s my promise to you.”

Barry smiled, extending his hand. “Thanks for getting me off my ass.”

“Any time,” Sara winked, shaking his hand.

Barry chuckled, turning to the others. “And if you’re all willing to try to be a family again, I think I can, too.”

The four men looked around, then Joe cleared his throat. “I don’t know which one of you to hug first – my son or the one who brought him back.”

“Oh, definitely him,” Sara pointed at Barry.

Joe moved at once, hugging Barry tightly, the speedster closing his eyes in relief and slumping into Joe’s embrace. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m in,” Julian declared. “H.R.? What do you say?”

“Yeah, I got a lot of coffee tastings and some book readings, lot of women left to charm, but I’m in,” H.R. nodded, making Sara blink and look at Cisco incredulously. “You know what? Free coffees for the gang at H.R. Jitters. Maybe 10% off . . . on me. Let’s go!”

“That’s your Wells?” Sara hissed incredulously.

“You get used to him,” Cisco snickered.

Sara conceded with a nod, and Cisco followed H.R. and Julian out of the cortex. Joe smiled widely at Sara, his hand on Barry’s shoulder. “Thank you,” he said genuinely.

Sara nodded, and Barry watched Joe leave behind the others. “Thank you,” he said as well.

“I can only imagine how hard this must have been,” Sara told him.

“I don’t know if you can,” he looked at her. “Sara, you gotta understand, you can’t change what’s gonna happen.”

“Well, it’s gonna be different when I get back,” Sara told him.

“How?” Barry frowned.

“You’re gonna have me,” Sara answered. “And if I have my way, the rest of my team’s gonna be right behind me. Professor Stein’s gonna want to help Caitlin out, and Ray and Jax will be all for helping you, Amaya’s all about being a hero, and Nate’ll follow her anywhere, and Mick and Rip will be along for the ride.”

Barry smiled. “I wish I had your optimism.”

Sara nodded. “It would be nice to go back with _some_ information, though.”

“I wish I could help you,” Barry sighed. “Believe me, I do.”

Sara tilted her head side to side. “You trapped Savitar in the Speed Force,” she said. “How did you do it?”

“I had help,” Barry answered.

“Help from who?”

“A physicist,” Barry told her. “Her name’s Tracy Brand. She made the Speed Force trap for me, but she didn’t figure out the technology until four years ago.”

“Which was four years after Iris died,” Sara nodded in understanding.

Barry nodded as well, then held up a hand. “Hang on.” Sara frowned, watching Barry walk over to one of the metal tables, picking up a container and taking something out of it. “I don’t know where she is,” he returned, a small round device in his hand. “And I don’t understand anything that’s on here, but that’s got all her information on it. Maybe when you go back, you can find her and . . . I don’t know, she can decipher it for you.”

“I hope so,” Sara smiled.

“But if not,” Barry swallowed, “tell me to make some good memories with Iris and hold onto ‘em as tight as I can.”

Sara smiled. “Think you can do me one last favor?”

* * *

“How’re we looking, Gideon?” Sara asked as she walked into the jumpship.

_“Ready to jump as soon as you are, Captain,”_ Gideon answered.

“You’re a wonderful being, Gideon, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” Sara patted the ship, heading back down the ramp.

_“Thank you, Captain.”_

“All right,” Sara walked up to Barry, who was examining the ship. “Guess I’m outta here.”

“Sara,” Barry looked at her. “It doesn’t need to be a lot, but whatever you can do . . . I’d really appreciate it.”

“I plan on doing everything I can,” Sara assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I look out for my team. After the Dominators, you’re on my team. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you before.”

Barry nodded. “I believe you.”

“Keep Central safe,” she extended her hand.

Barry’s lips quirked up in a smirk, and he shook her hand. “Keep the timeline intact.”

Sara frowned. “Why do I get the feeling I don’t?”

“Spoilers,” Barry grinned.

“Great,” Sara huffed, turning around and heading back into the jumpship. “The timeline breaks. Good to know.” She paused, then turned around. “Do I get any hints about how that happens?”

Barry smirked. “Spoilers.”

“Fine,” Sara huffed, leaning against the ship. “Any suggestions about when I should talk to you?”

Barry considered. “Actually . . . ”

* * *

H.R. burst out laughing when Barry, Jesse, and Wally flashed back into the cortex with Cisco and Gypsy. “All the gorillas are back on Earth-2,” the Scarlet Speedster announced.

“And Grodd?” Caitlin asked worriedly.

“I called Lyla,” Barry answered. “He’s with A.R.G.U.S.”

“Good,” Joe sighed in relief. “I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t ever need to see a super-smart, telepathic gorilla again.”

“I’m with you,” H.R. nodded.

“Not that Grodd didn’t have some justification for mistrusting humans,” Barry conceded.

“Whatever good was in Grodd is gone,” Caitlin told him. “As far as I’m concerned, they can throw him in the same cage as King Shark.”

“Mmm,” Cisco tilted his head. “I’d pay money to see that fight.”

“All right,” Gypsy nodded, but as she kept speaking, Barry’s attention was drawn by his phone vibrating on the table. Frowning, he saw the incoming text was from an unknown number. He picked it up, unlocking it, then read the text.

_Meet at CC Jitters. It’s about Savitar._

Barry tensed, trying to recognize the number, then gave up. “Hey, actually, I need to go,” he said, swallowing hard.

“Barry?” Iris asked in concern.

“I’ll see you at home,” Barry assured her, then looked at Gypsy, a dazed look on Cisco’s face. “Gypsy, thanks for your help. Tell Harry thanks, too.”

“Barry!” Cisco protested, but Barry zoomed out of the cortex, changing into civilian clothes and rushing to Jitters as fast as he could.

When he arrived at the building, he found a familiar blonde pacing anxiously, her hands in her jacket pockets. “Sara?” he asked in surprise. She looked up, and Barry was surprised to see her swallow hard and tears form in her eyes. “Hey,” he hurried over, his concern rising. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

Sara took a deep breath, reaching up and scrubbing her eyes. “We need to talk,” she answered. “And bear with me, because I think I’m gonna be a mess.”

“Then we’ll get drinks to go,” Barry opened the door for her.

Sara took a deep breath, then nodded and stepped inside. “Can’t believe H.R. bought this place.”

Barry halted in his tracks, blinking rapidly. “Wait, H.R. did _what?”_

* * *

Coffee suddenly wasn’t very appealing to Barry as he sat in the park next to Sara, staring at a random spot on the ground as he comprehended all of what Sara had just told him. He concentrated on one fact, though. “We lost,” he whispered.

“Yes,” Sara said quietly, putting her hand over his. “You lost.”

“He wins,” he said numbly. “Iris dies.” Sara nodded grimly, and Barry closed his eyes, putting his head in his hand. “Caitlin becomes Killer Frost for good, she takes Cisco’s hands and his powers, Wally gets a shattered spine, and I’m never there for Joe.”

“I’m sorry, Barry,” Sara swallowed.

“And for some reason, I blamed you?” Barry frowned. “Why would I blame you?”

“Because apparently, at some point in the future, you call me and the Legends, and we never show up or even give you a response,” Sara answered. “I don’t know why, but you banned the Legends from ever coming back to Central City.”

“God,” Barry groaned, standing up and pacing restlessly. “I can’t believe it.”

“Neither could I, and I was there,” Sara stood up as well. “That’s why I’m here, Barry. I don’t want that to be the future. As soon as the jumpship was fixed and I left 2024, I came here to see you. I want you to know I’m on your side for this. I want to stop Savitar with you. I don’t want that to be your future.”

“What happened to not changing the timeline?” Barry frowned.

“Screw what I said back then,” Sara shook her head. “For the longest time, I tried to find Damien Darhk in the past so I could kill him and bring back Laurel. It took all of the Legends to talk sense into me. I had no right to berate you like I did.” She stood in front of Barry, looking him in the eye. “Losing a sister was bad,” she said. “You’re not gonna lose your girlfriend.”

Barry blinked suddenly. “My girlfriend?”

It was Sara’s turn to blink. “Isn’t she?” she asked in surprise, looking unsure. “I thought back when the Dominators invaded, you two were really close.”

“Um, we dated for a while,” Barry admitted. “During Flashpoint and a bit after. But we’ve always been better as best friends, as close as siblings.”

“Oh,” Sara mouthed, a rare blush on her cheeks. “My mistake.” She shook her head, getting herself together. “Then you understand when I say that no one should lose their sister to a son of a bitch like this.”

“Agreed,” Barry nodded, steeling himself. “I don’t suppose you got anything useful from the future?”

Sara grinned. “As a matter of fact . . . ”

Barry sat back down as Sara explained everything she had learned about Savitar from Killer Frost and his future self, and when she pulled out the disc she had, he felt more confident than he had been in a long time. “We’re gonna get him,” he said suddenly, making Sara look at him. “I know we will.”

Sara smiled widely. “You bet your ass we will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote the last part of this with a migraine, so I hope it's not too terrible. All things considered, I felt like I did most of this episode justice. Not much on the romantic Scarlet Canary side, but it has the potential there. Hope everyone else agrees!
> 
> _Next time from EmpressOfFandomzzz:_ Sara and Barry has been secretly dating since Iris and him called off their engagement, but when Barry was framed for murder and went to jail Sara reveals their relationship.


End file.
